Minority Opposes Formula To Debate SONA

The New Patriotic Party (NPP) minority in Parliament has opposed the proposal from the business committee to decrease the number of minority members who are supposed to debate the SONA and instead increases those from the majority side.

The apparent proportional representation was tabled by Majority Leader, Mahama Ayariga, on Friday, February 28, 2025 during the reading of the business statement.

By the proposal, the time tested convention of affording both the majority and minority sides equal representation during debates will be changed.

Instead, more majority members than minority numbers will have the opportunity to debate the SONA.

Opposing the proposal, Ofoase Ayirebi MP, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, said parliamentary debates should allow for contrasting views, which has traditionally been ensured by alternating speakers from the majority and minority sides.

“What is a debate? To exchange contrasting views on what His Excellency the President has presented. Is there anybody on the majority side who is going to say he disagrees with the President? No.” he said.

He cited Standing Order 115, which grants the Speaker the discretion to select speakers, rather than any caucus determining numbers from both sides of the house to contribute to the debate.

He warned that deviating from this established convention by allowing multiple speakers from the majority side to make their statements before one person from the minority speaks would undermine the debate’s purpose and limit diverse perspectives.

“Mr. Speaker, the convention has been over the years, from the first Parliament, second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth, that when one person speaks on the other side, ostensibly to repeat what the President has said, you will get a contrasting view from another person from this side.

“So, Mr. Speaker, we should not fall for this temptation that we are now coming to do some proportional representation when it comes to the debate on the state of the nation,” he added.

Second Deputy Speaker and MP for Fomena, Andrew Asiamah Amoako, requested that the matter be tabled before speaker Bagbin for resolution.

The post Minority Opposes Formula To Debate SONA appeared first on The Ghanaian Chronicle.

Read Full Story