There was drama on the floor of parliament, as legislators from both the minority and majority caucuses traded words accusing each other of being unpatriotic over the failure of the house to proceed with the government's businesses.
The New Patriotic Party (NPP) Members of Parliament (MPs), led by the Majority Chief Whip and MP for Nsawam-Adoagyiri, Frank Annoh-Dompreh, accused the minority MPs of not having the interest of Ghanaians at heart with their decision to boycott sittings if the prosecution of their MP for Assin North, James Gyakye Quayson continues.
“Please, do service to Mother Ghana. Serve your country with patriotism. Mr Speaker, our colleagues must be patriotic a bit… Why?
“We have an important bill to deal with, the chairman is here and all the sponsors of the bill are ready. They are watching from the gallery. They want us to consider the bill, the Wildlife Bill is important,” he said.
But, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) MPs did not take kindly to Annoh-Dompreh’s attempt to blame them for the house not being able to proceed with the business before it.
The Minority Chief Whip and the MP for Adaklu, Kwame Governs Agbodza, argued that the NPP MPs do not need the NDC MPs on the floor to proceed with businesses before parliament since they are 138 and the number needed for a general quorum is 93.
He said that it is the NPP MPs who are unpatriotic because they have left their duties and are chasing Vice President Dr Mahama Bawumia around the country for his campaign to become the flagbearer of their party.
“… the fact is that if he (Annoh-Dompreh) checks his front, his leader and the deputy leader have not been seen this week. He didn’t find any problem with that. Look at your number in the house today.
“You know that at your back many colleagues are out there campaigning… what has the absence of minority members, who said they not coming to work yesterday, got to do with the reason why your members were not up to the numbers that form a quorum. So, the problem is yourselves,” he said.
The MP for Asawase, Mohammed Mubarak Muntaka, added his voice to the argument of the NDC MPs saying, “Mr Speaker let us do the right thing and encourage our colleague, the majority whip, to try and get his side to take government business more seriously”.
BAI/OGB
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Frank Annoh-Dompreh (right), Kwame Governs Agbodza (left) at parliament on July 19, 2023
