How BBC, Sky News, Reuters reported fight in Ghana’s Parliament
Parliament has suspended sitting
Brawl in Parliament over E-levy
Read full article Sports Minister allegedly sustain wounds in Parliament brawl
Parliament suspends sitting until January 18
Ghana’s Parliament on December 21, 2021, became the venue of fisticuffs with the trading of blows among members of the house.
In the full glare of the public, a debate on the 1.75 % Electronic Transaction Levy turned sour with members punching each other.
On various local media platforms, the incident was widely reported and discussed as people bemoaned what is fast becoming a feature of the 8th Parliament.
The international media was not left out of the coverage of the humiliating spectacle that landed one MP with a cut on his face.
The BBC’s report was captioned “Ghana MPs brawl in parliament over mobile money tax”.
The report which had a picture of two MPs shoving each other gave a detailed description of the incident.
“The chaos started after opposition MPs rushed forward to prevent Deputy Speaker Joseph Osei Owusu from leaving his seat to vote, local media reports. He was chairing the session, which was then adjourned because of the disorder.”
Sky News’ report of the incident was just a lede and an over one minute video of the fight among the MPs.
They quoted Majority Leader Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu as saying he was "sad, ashamed and embarrassed to be called the leader of the house".
The Reuters was much more detailed with views from either side of the house. It was captioned “Punches thrown in Ghana parliament over electronic payments tax”.
They described the episode as “Members of parliament rushed to the front of the chamber after Deputy Speaker Joseph Osei-Owusu suggested the tax be debated and voted upon under a hastened "urgency" procedure. Some threw punches and grappled while others restrained their colleagues.”
As earlier reported by this site the house rose for the Christmas break and will resume on January 18, 2022.
