Blows in Parliament: Blame First and Second Deputy Speakers – Nii Lante Vanderpuye

Member of Parliament for Odododiodoo Constituency, Nii Lante Vanderpuye has asked Ghanaians to blame the First and Second Deputy Speakers of Parliament for the brawl recorded in the house last night.

Speaking to JoyNews correspondent in Parliament  after Monday’s brawl, he said the country’s democracy and parliamentary practice is at risk if the two continue on the trajectory they have taken in recent times.

Nii Lante Vanderpuye described the First Deputy Speaker’s decision to take part in voting while presiding as bias, unconstitutional and reprehensible adding the Minority will not allow him to change the standing order to suit his personal interest.

“In as much as I will say it unfortunate for such a thing to happen, I think Ghanaians should put the blame on the First and Second Deputy Speaker. Our democracy and our parliamentary practice is at risk if they continue to exhibit such bias attitude. We all remember in this house when their famous rescission of the Hon Bagbin’s decision.  Hon Osei Owusu then sitting in said he was counting himself among the quorum by then he knows he has no vote. Today, he, Osei Owusu sitting in the chair and claiming he still has a vote even though he is presiding which is in contravention of the standing orders and the constitution of this Republic of Ghana. So we said we will not allow him to vote because by sitting in the chair and presiding you have no original vote or casting vote,” Nii Lante Vanderpuye said.

Joe Wise to upturn the constitution and the the standing orders – Nii Lante Vanderpuye.

The Odododiodoo MP likened the sit-in speaker’s stand to a referee who plays for one of the team’s in the march he is officiating and return after a while to continue his job as a referee in the same game.

According to him, that is unheard of and vowed the Minority will never allow him to have his way in the house.

“When you are presiding and you have ordered a division and the division is ongoing then you are getting out of the chair to go and exercise your vote where have you found this before? where is this? Is like a referee saying that let me just wear the jersey of one team, play and after that I will come and continue as a referee.  Have you seen some before? It doesn’t make sense anywhere.  And that is what we objected to. We are not going to allow Joe Osei Owusu to turn the constitution and the standing orders around to suit his whims and caprices”. 

“It is not right, is unconstitutional and is very very reprehensible for a speaker of this house to do what he did,” Nii Lante Vanderpuye emphasized.

Majority, Minority throw blows again

Ghana’s Parliament was on Monday, December 20, night thrown to another chaotic state following a decision by the sit-in Speaker, Mr Joseph Osei Owusu otherwise known as Joe wise to take part in a division to decide whether or not a certificate of urgency should be adopted by the government proposed e-levy.

The night saw members from each side of the house engage in physical fight in the full glare of cameras to the dismay of many Ghanaians.

The fight begun when the Minority attempted to snatch the speaker’s chair to prevent Joe Wise to continue as the speaker following his decision to take part in the division and subsequent voting.

Source: GhanaPlus.com