Speaker of Parliament is nowhere to be found – Afenyo-Markin

The Deputy Majority Leader of Parliament, Mr Alexander Afenyo-Markin has said the Speaker of Parliament, Alban Kingsford Sumana Bagbin was nowhere to be found prior to Monday evening proceeding in Parliament.

 Addressing the Parliamentary Press Corp on Monday, December 20,monitored by GhanaPlus.com he said the Majority had no knowledge of why the speaker was absent from the house.

 “Like I said it is a surprise I see Mr Speaker absent as a big surprise, o see Mr Speaker absence as a big surprise we do not know the where  about of Mr Speaker, we do not know. I have said we do not know the where about of Mr Speaker. It is not leadership to contact Mr Speaker, it is for Parliamentary service through the Clerk to Parliament and Clerk at table have indicated that they do not know the where about of Mr Speaker,” Afenyo-Markin said.

The house was sitting to continue with the debate about the proposed 1.75% electronic transaction levy, however, the Speaker who was in the chamber since morning and had suspended proceedings for an hour was nowhere to be found in the evening.

Speaker’s absence : Ploy by Minority to frustrate gov’t business – Afenyo-Markin

Mr Afenyo- Markin described the Speaker absence as surprising and accused the Minority of orchestrating it to frustrate government business.

“The NDC determination to frustrate and obstruct government business has today been supported by the Speaker of Parliament who is the lord sovereign of this house, who is the president of the house and considering the critical numbers, 138 Majority group, 137 Minority group. This is the time we expect Mr Speaker to leave up to his own moseyed to the people of Ghana, that is to show leadership, I regret to say that we cannot proceed to take decision without Mr Speaker. We need Mr Speaker in the house. We need the Speaker of Parliament in the house because by the technicalities of our own procedures, if Mr Speaker is not there, one of our own would have to sit in and the imperatives of the constitution are clear that he will therefore, not have the opportunity to have his right of voting as a member. We are not in to look at the lacuna in the law that which could also mean that when there is a tie to the extent that the constitution is silence on his casting vote, he will exercise his voting right. We will not go that path…………….,” he said.

“What we want to insist is that Mr Speaker must show leadership. In Parliament leadership is consulted and engaged. We have no information as to the where about of the Speaker. The leadership of the Majority has not been informed of the reasons why Mr Speaker of Parliament is unavoidable absence this evening from the chamber of parliament. We therefore, say that we see this as a grand political partisan design by the minority group to frustrate us and we don’t want to suggest that Mr Speaker is unavoidable absent to frustrate government business. We believe in Mr Speaker, we believe that he stands for government business to go on and to allow this country to be governed by rule of law and due process………..,” Afenyo-Markin added.

Source: GhanaPlus.com