By: Franklin ASARE-DONKOH
The National Democratic Congress (NDC) Members of the 8th Parliament are said to be sharply divided over a motion on reversal of absentee MPs’ case filed by the Minority Chief Whip, Alhaji Mohammed Mubarak Muntaka.
Even before the Minority Chief Whip could file his motion on reversal of absentee MPs’ case, some members from his side openly showed their disagreements for challenging the Speaker’s ruling on the floor of the House.
The latest to add his voice to the issue is the MP for Zebilla Constituency in the Upper East Region, Mr. Cletus Apul Avoka, who believes Alhaji Muntaka Mubarak rushed into filing a motion calling for a reversal of the referral of three MPs to the Privileges Committee for absenting themselves for over 15 sittings.
Speaking on Citi TV’s Current Affairs Programme “Face to Face”, Mr. Avoka, who is also a former Majority leader in Ghana’s Parliament indicated that Mr. Muntaka Mubarak’s decision to file a motion, without extensive engagement with the leadership of the Minority Caucus, was not appropriate.
The Zebilla Lawmaker maintained that extensive engagements would have provided the opportunity for legal considerations.
“I think Muntaka is rushing too much. I thought when the House adjourned, there should have been a Caucus meeting to discuss the way forward on whether we should present a motion or not, to rescind the Speaker’s decision,” he said.
In the motion, Alhaji. Mubarak called on Parliament “to revoke, cancel or rescind the referral made by The Rt. Hon. Speaker on the 5th day of April 2022, to the committee on Privileges to consider the issue of absence without permission from the House under Article 97 (1) (c) of the constitution and Standing Orders 15 and 16 of Honourables Sarah Adwoa Safo, Henry Quartey, and Kennedy Ohene Agyapong.”
However, the Zebilla MP doubted whether the motion would yield results, given that it was filed by an individual and not the Minority Caucus.
The three MPs who have been referred to the Privileges Committee; are Dome Kwabenya MP, Madam Sara Adwoa Safo, Mr. Henry Quartey, Ayawaso Central MP, and Assin Central MP, Mr. Kennedy Ohene Agyapong.