Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, the Majority Leader, has taken strong exception to the Speaker of Parliament’s decision to direct the plenary to debate the fate of Dome Kwabenya Member of Parliament (MP), Sarah Adwoa Safo, and two other legislators over absenteeism.
Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu maintains that the Speaker erred in referring the matter back to the house, stating that the ruling violates the constitution and threatening to appeal the decision.
“I completely disagree with the decision. It violates the constitution, and I must express my dissatisfaction with this unfortunate ruling, which is highly inconsistent. “We will file a substantive motion to challenge the ruling,” Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu said on the House floor immediately after the ruling.
On Wednesday, October 26, 2022, the Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, gave permission for a report from the Privileges Committee on three absentee Members of Parliament to be tabled and debated in the House.
Mr. Bagbin rejected attempts to declare some of the seats vacant in the absence of a formal debate on the Privileges Committee’s report.
Rt. Hon. Alban Bagbin stated in his ruling that “the preliminary objection for the admissibility of the report is hereby dismissed in limine.”
However, shortly after the ruling, Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu expressed his displeasure, saying that the decision is detrimental to the parliamentary business.
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He contended that the Speaker’s decision should have been based on the Privileges Committee’s reports, and that it was clearly in violation of Article 97 of the Constitution.
“I am adamant that the Speaker’s interpretation of the Constitution is completely incorrect.” He has led us on an obedient journey that is detrimental to the growth of Parliament. The decision does not rest with plenary.”
The three members – Kennedy Agyapong, MP for Assin Central, Henry Quartey, MP for Ayawaso West, and Adwoa Safo, MP for Dome Kwabenya – were referred to the Privileges Committee for being absent from Parliament for an indefinite period.
While Kennedy Agyapong and Henry Quartey appeared before the committee and claimed their absence was due to illness, Adwoa Safo did not appear.
She blamed her long absence from Parliament on family issues, claiming that her son was ill, among other things.
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