By Edzorna Francis Mensah
Chaos in Ghana’s Parliament has forced the Second Deputy Speaker, Andrew Asiamah Amoako to suspend sitting to arrest a potential danger as MPs from the Minority side heckled the Leader of the house to withdraw comments they deemed derogatory to them and the NDC running mate.
Alexander Kwamina Afenyo-Markin, the Member of the Parliament of Ghana for the Effutu and the Majority leader and the Leader of the house on his feet for final debates on the State of the Nation address presented by the president a few days ago referred to NDC’s running mate, Prof. Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang to the effect that, the woman is off age to take over the presidency from, John Dramani Mahama, the present Candidate of the ticket of the larger opposition NDC if he finishes his final one term.
His comments have gotten the Minority to complain to the Speaker to call the Leader to order and possibly ask him to withdraw and apologize but all attempts to get the Leader to do the needful have fallen on deaf ears forcing the Minority to interrupt the Leader leading to abrupt suspension of the house to prevent chaos.
Speaking to the media on the matter, the member of Parliament for Ketu South, Abla Dzifa Gomashie on behalf of the Female cause on the Minority side relied on Order 123 (2) and (6) of the Standing Orders of Parliament to justify the need for the apology and the total withdrawal from the Leader of the House.
According to her, the words used by the leader were offensive and abusive and it is an insult to Ghanaian women and the aged in Ghana.
She said, the comments by the leader contradicted Order 123 (6), which talks about the fact that “the speech of a member shall be relevant to the subject matter under discussion”, and to her, “what Prof. Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang’s name got to do with his debates on SONA”?
Meanwhile, The Majority Chief Whip of Parliament, Frank Annoh Dompreh in a rebuttal, called on his colleagues to exercise some levels of tolerance when debating on the floor, because, “my colleagues including their Leader throughout these debates have consistently and persistently attack Dr. Bawumia”.
He said, the Minority had got it wrong and that the Leader was only comparing records of former states personalities who are seeking to lead this country.
He said his boss, Afenyo has no issue with the woman and he never said anything bad about Prof. Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang who also hails from the same Afenyo’s Central Region.
