Ghana's parliament
During every sitting in parliament, they are usually major events that get Ghanaians talking.
Read full article These events are usually either from the majority, minority, the Speaker or some major government businesses which stirs controversies.
GhanaWeb lists some of the major events in the House during the last sitting which got Ghanaians talking.
Major shakeup in minority leader
Barely two weeks before the house resumed sitting in 2023, the NDC leadership made some major changes in the leadership of the minority.
The party appointed the former Deputy Minister of Finance, Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson, as the minority leader in the 8th Parliament of Ghana’s Fourth Republic. He replaced the MP for Tamale South, Haruna Iddrisu who has severed for over 6 years.
Kofi Armah Buah, MP for Ellembele, also took over as the Deputy Minority Leader while Kwame Governs Agbodza, MP for Adaklu, replaced Asawase MP Muntaka Mohammed as the Chief Whip.
Ahmed Ibrahim, MP for Banda, has been maintained as the First Deputy Minority Whip, while Comfort Doyo Cudjoe-Ghansah, MP for Ada, is the Second Deputy Minority Whip.
This was contained in a letter to the Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, from the National Democratic Congress, dated January 23, 2023.
This steered some controversies even among the minority caucus with claims that they were not informed prior to the party’s leadership making this decision.
The party has however reconciled their differences and are working together as a caucus.
Minority clashes with Majority for trying to 'smuggle' new CI into business statement
There was a clash between the majority and minority in parliament on February 10 with regards to the draft of a new Public Elections (Registration of Voters) Regulations, 2023
On Friday, February 10, 2023, after the Deputy Majority leader, Alexander Afenyo Markin, read the business statement for next week, the minority leader, Dr Caissel Ato Forson, raised concerns that the agenda that was discussed did not include Public Elections (Registration of Voters) Regulations, 2023.
“… Mr Speaker at the meeting, I have a copy of the draft of the agenda we discussed. But to my surprise, I have seen an introduction of the C1 which was never discussed at the business committee meeting. But the deputy majority leader who did not attend business committee meeting stood here and made a pronouncement that this was agreed upon. Mr Speaker I am deeply disappointed in the Clerks for allowing this to be smuggled into a business statement. This can never be allowed.
“Mr Speaker if that is the way this administration of the house, Mr Speaker this side of the house is ready for them,” Ato Forson said.
The Public Elections (registration of Voters) Regulations, 2023 was captioned in page 4 (iii)(e) of presentation of papers.
The Deputy Minority Chief Whip, Ahmed Banda, who described the business statement as a smuggled report said the house will not entertain it in the chamber.
Mr. Banda added that the Deputy Majority Chief Whip in parliament, Frank Annor Dompreh, had indicated they would smuggle the CI in the business statement and he truly did.
He added that there was a directive that the EC chairperson should appear before the house and brief them on the CI which includes the rationale behind the CI.
Ahmed Banda said the EC chairperson did not appear before the house and yet the issue has still been brought into the business statement.
In response, Alexander Afenyo-Markin said that the report should not be rejected if the minority merely disagrees but that it should be put on hold.
“Sometimes when your brother disagrees with you and you believe in a solution, you could grant us a temporal leave. Today is Friday. I will want to yield to the views expressed that we place the issue of the CI on ice for now. In other words, it won’t be part of the report,” Afenyo-Markin added.
The Deputy Speaker, Joseph Osei Owusu, in his ruling, said the majority did not deny that the CI was not part of the business arranged for the week.
“So, what has not been agreed should be excluded and if you discuss and you agree. The leader can make another statement on what was agreed. So, lets exclude what was not part of the business arrange of the week and proceed with what has been arranged for the week,” Joe Wise said.
Brouhaha over approval of ministerial nominees
Following that appointment of new ministers by president Akufo-Addo, the Minority caucus in Parliament bragged about its position not to approve any of the ministerial nominees despite participating in the vetting process.
The minority had stated that they will not approve any of the nominees selected by President Nana Akufo-Addo to fill some vacant positions in government.
The decision followed a directive by the General Secretary of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Fifi Kwetey, for Minority members on the Appointments Committee to reject all the nominees to prevent large size government.
Based on the rejection from the committee, the House was to take in decision in the plenary by a secret vote.
Shockingly, after a secret vote, all the nominees were approved despite the absence of three MPs from the majority side, including Adwoa Safo.
The party is yet to come to terms with this development.
Death of Kumawu MP
Ghanaians woke up to the sad news of the death of Member of Parliament for Kumawu in the Ashanti Region, Philip Atta Basoah.
The three-time MP is reported to have died at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital on Tuesday morning on March 28.
He died at the age of 53.
He was one of the absentee MPs in Parliament when the House voted on the approval of six ministerial nominees and two justices of the Supreme Court.
He was a member of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP).
NPP MP rushed to the hospital after being involved in an accident
Nanton MP, Mohammed Hardi Tufeiru was involved in an accident on March 31 at a crucial time the House was considering three tax bills
The MP, who is also the deputy minister for food and agriculture, said that he was almost at Parliament when the accident occurred because he was driving at top speed and lost control of his vehicle.
He narrated that he left Parliament to see his daughter, who was admitted to the International Maritime Hospital, because he could no longer get in touch with his wife, who was at the hospital.
At the hospital, he received calls from the leadership of the Majority Caucus, where he was told that he was needed in the House because the Minority Caucus was asking for a headcount for the approval of the taxes the government was introducing.
He recounted he was driven to Parliament from the accident scene in an Uber, adding that he was heading to the chamber to vote when some colleagues saw the state in which he was and subsequently took him to a washroom for medical attention.
Among others, he was injected, before an incision was made at the top right side of his eye where he sustained a deep cut. In the midst of all this, he restated his desire to be in the chamber to vote on the three bills.
“You may not really understand what was actually happening and I am sure you are also mindful of the important bills that we needed to pass… honestly speaking, I don’t know how you are going to feel about it or whoever is going to feel about it.
“I was for Ghana, I was for my party, my government and I needed to do whatever to get the bill passed,” he told EyeWitness News host, Umaru Sanda Amadu (April 3).
When the host asked: “Did you feel that your life was less important than the bill?” the MP responded: “yes, yes… if you want you can take it like that. I am fine.”
The one battle the minority won in parliament under new leadership
The minority for the first time won a battle in parliament despite having 135 members in the house, due to the Supreme Court ruling on James Gyakye Quayson which prevents him from holding himself as MP.
This comes after the minority was able to unanimously reject the draft Bill of new Public Elections (Registration of Voters) Regulations, 2023.
The controversial Constitutional Instrument (CI) from the Electoral Commission (EC) was seeking to make the Ghana Card the only identification document to be used for voter registration.
From the time the CI was brought before parliament, the minority vowed to resist its passage into law.
Following the appearance of the EC chairperson, the minority said that the EC needed to amend the CI in the interest of all.
The Minority also wanted the EC to reintroduce the guarantor system to the voter registration processes and decentralize it.
Based on this, the first deputy Speaker, in presenting the report of the committee of the whole on behalf of the speaker on March 31, said the committee concluded that “it would not accept and would reject any effort that is geared towards making the EC use the Ghana Card as the ONLY medium to qualify a person who is eligible to vote in 2024 elections.”
He added that this is premised on the fact that indeed Ghana has come of age and can boast of a credible national identification card (Ghana Card) to transact business with. However, even in the face of several identification options given in the past, and even in the operation of the NIA, some citizens are unable to register for the national card due to the existence of serious challenges the Authority is confronted with.
“It is clear that unless and until the challenges confronting the issuance of the Ghana Card are dealt with, using the Ghana Card as the only medium of voter registration, would negatively impact the electoral roll and thereby deny some otherwise qualified persons from registering to vote.”
The house was informed to “officially communicate to the EC of this decision for favourable consideration before finalization and presentation to parliament for passage into law.”
This is a victory for the minority as they have successfully rejected the CI as they initially stated.
YNA/DA