Suspension of 4 MPs from Parliament: Minority accuses Speaker of overstepping mandate

 The Minority in Parliament has accused the Speaker, Alban Sumana Bagbin, of overstepping his authority by suspending four Members of Parliament (MPs) from the House.

The Minority Leader, Alexander Afenyo-Markin, described the Speaker’s action as unconstitution­al and abuse of power that disre­garded parliamentary procedures.

Mr Afenyo-Markin at a press conference in Accra on Monday, said the Speaker acted unconsti­tutionally and unilaterally without affording the affected MPs a fair hearing or consulting leadership of the House.

It is recalled that Mr Bagbin suspended the MPs from the sit­tings of the House for two weeks, starting from last Friday.

The affected MPs are the Majority Chief Whip and MP for South Dayi, Rockson Nelson Dafeamakpor; the Minority Chief Whip and MP for Nsawam-Ado­agyiri, Frank Annor-Dompreh; the MP for Gushiegu, Alhassan Sulemana Tampuuli, and the MP for Weija-Gbawe, Jerry Ahmed Shaib.

The Speaker said the conduct of the four MPs at the vetting of President John Mahama’s min­isterial nominees, had seriously undermined the credibility of Par­liament and urgent punitive action had to be taken against them.

Mr Bagbin also constituted a seven-member special committee to conduct a full-scale investi­gation into the violent confron­tations among MPs during the vetting.

He also directed the Clerk-to-Parliament to undertake a full assessment of all damage caused within the Committee Room and parliamentary precincts as a result of the misconduct of the members.

But, Mr Afenyo-Markin said that parliamentary rules mandat­ed a formal process, including a committee investigation, before any sanctions could be imposed on the MPs.

He said no such process was followed and that “we have come to the conclusion that the Speaker grossly exceeded his jurisdiction and his mandate.”

Mr Afenyo-Markin noted that even in contempt cases, proper procedures must be adhered to.

Beyond the suspension, the Minority leader also accused the Majority caucus of intimidation and unfair treatment.

Mr Afenyo-Markin mentioned that despite cooperation in ap­proving President John Mahama’s nominees swiftly, the Minority caucus continued to face bullying tactics from the Majority.

“For the record, this is the first time in the history of our Fourth Republic that a Minority has allowed a government to appoint ministers in record time. Yet, they continue to bully us,” the Minority leader said.

Mr Afenyo-Markin also raised concerns over physical threats and harassment from NDC support­ers, alleging that Minority MPs have been subjected to verbal abuse and intimidation, forcing them to consider additional secu­rity measures.

He said despite the Minority’s strong opposition to the Speaker’s ruling, it (Minority) would contin­ue engaging him on the matter.

A formal memo, Mr Afen­yo-Markin said has been sent to the Speaker’s office outlining grievances of the Minority, adding that discussions were ongoing with leadership of the New Patri­otic Party (NPP) on the develop­ments.

The Minority said that the af­fected MPs must be granted a fair hearing, warning that they will not be intimidated into silence.

The Minority has also vowed to resist any attempts to undermine its role in Parliament, stressing its commitment to upholding demo­cratic principles and parliamentary accountability.

 BY RAISSA SAMBOU

The post Suspension of 4 MPs from Parliament: Minority accuses Speaker of overstepping mandate appeared first on Ghanaian Times.

Read Full Story