By Edzorna Francis Mensah
Government business is said to be in limbo as both the Minority and the Majority continue to accuse each other of unacceptable absenteeism for personal gains.
Public business in the Chamber for the past few days has been scattered by boycotts from the Minority side and absenteeism from the Majority.
The Minority has since served a verbal notice to the speaker to boycott the chamber for Court in solidarity with a colleague and MP for Assin South who is being prosecuted for electoral offences.
The Majority on the other hand, is also suffering to get the needed number in the chamber for business since many of the MPs are allegedly following Presidential Aspirants to campaign, whereas some of the sitting MPs too are equally out there canvassing for votes for their upcoming super delegates’ conference ahead of the main delegates’ conference to elect the 2024 Presidential Candidate.
The situation has reached a control point, forcing the presiding speaker to suspend sittings to get members, but many times, the Speaker is forced to adjourn the House for lack of quorum by the Standing Orders of the Parliament of Ghana.
On Wednesday, July 19, 2023, Parliament witnessed a premature adjournment over a lack of quorum (91 MPs).
The Minority at a news briefing on Wednesday, July 19, 2023, cleared the air as to what was on their minds by telling the public that “we will not help you to prosecute government business if you don’t stop following Presidential Aspirants around and attend sitting”.
MP for Adaklu, the Minority Chief Whip, Governs Kwame Agbodza, who addressed the media, revealed that the majority can proceed with Government business with or without them with their 137-1- “with 91 MPs, they can work, but where are they?”
He explained that absenteeism on the other side of the House is the reason business cannot be conducted because “we are ready to work, but where are the NPP MPs”.
But in a sharp rebuttal, the MP for Nsawam/Adoagri and the Majority Chief Whip, Frank Annoh-Dompreh, was amazed but added that he’s ready to mobilise his colleagues any time for business—”we have done before”.
He, however, accused the Minority of deliberately leaving the chamber to raise quorum issues and frustrate government business as he expressed his disappointment with the way and manner in which his colleagues on the other side are conducting themselves.
Angry-looking Annoh Dompreh questioned the reasoning for the NDC to pick and choose what business to do on the floor.
“Go and check the record, they were here in but as soon as the house wished to commence public business, you see them leaving.”
