The Speaker of Parliament, Rt. Hon. Prof. Aaron Michael Ocquaye, says he has been impartial in all his deliberations ever since he assumed the number three highest position of the land, including but not limited to the Minority National Democratic Congress (NDC) Caucus.
The Minority NDC Caucus on Wednesday, March 7, 2018, embarked on a sit-down strike in what they termed protest against the Speaker for being partial against their course.
It all started when the Minority Leader, Haruna Iddrisu, rose up with the intent of catching the eye of the Speaker to make an intervention during a presentation to the House by the Deputy Minister for Agriculture, Kennedy Ohene Nyarko.
But the Minority was ignored by the Speaker, paving the way for the Deputy Minister for Agriculture to conclude his presentation, with the Speaker, also giving the floor to the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey, to make a statement on the alleged slave trade of Africans in Libya.
This compelled the Minority NDC Caucus to embark on a sit-down strike in protest against the Speaker for being partial to them.
However, the Speaker reacting to the concerns of the Minority NDC Caucus moments after opening Thursday’s sitting said he has been impartial to in all his deliberations.
He told the House that he was only going by the strict one-hour rule which was adopted by the previous Parliament, citing Order 69 of the Standing Orders of Parliament to buttress his argument.
“Order 69 of the Standing Orders of Parliament does not exclude the decision of this House which you know very well that it is the same policy procedure which the immediate past Parliament approved and which was adopted by the House and it applies across the board. If you want us to think of something else, leaders, please the next time we meet you may put your heads together and come to a conclusion that it is most improper to come to the House when we all agreed on matters of procedure and give the impression that somebody is being discriminated against. That is not so”, he noted.
He added “And anybody who was in the past Parliament will know that is what prevailed and it was adopted. If fact, that is not what I started but it was so adopted so if you think otherwise, you may advise your leaders but that is not what we all ought … and it has a reason of enabling us to contain more questions within the one hour allowed for question. But otherwise, in all aspects, that when it is one hour, we stop. But this is what was decided by the House”.
Source: kasapafmonline.com
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1992 to 1996, only NDC was in parliament. Not a single person from another party was in parliament during that time. The country did no collapse. If present NDC feel they want to boycott parliament for the rest of their 4-year mandate, let them be bold to vamoose for us to have our peace of mind. They talk too much, twist things in their favour, embark on populist propaganda and paint opponents black. I don't think they will succeed in the long run. If they want power in 2020, they should be objective, honest and truthful in their deliberations for people to appreciate them.
NDC Parliamentarians are a bunch of indiscipline people. If somebody should also descend strongly on them as they are doing, will they have the moral courage to talk about dragging the fellow before the privileges committee?
There was a parliament of Ghana between 1993-1996. Speaker should just forget about these people. For no matter what you do, they will never be satisfied. Since they are not in the seat
NO MATTER WHAT YOU DO, THE MINORITY HAS MADE UP THEIR MIND TO OPPOSE. JUST DO UR WORK AND BE ABSENCE SENSITIVE TO THEIR TROUBLES
P(NDC) ruled this country for 27 long years and NPP ruled for only 9 years.......
If the NPP can bost of very inteligent youths like Hon. Ablakwah, Felix Fosu Kwakye, Boamah etc, you will have praise them to the high heavens. Always relying on JJ and Amidu's insult words such as babies with sharp teeth etc. Let any NPP wise man say something that makes sense. Apart from Ken Agyapong who is a bit wise, the rest of NPP members are ***barred word*** of empty talk talk talk with little to show. The Ridge Hospital is there, Kwame Nkrumah interchange is there, Legon Hospital is there, 50 Brand New Community day schools are there to see, University of Allied sciences is there, University of Dev. Studies is there to see etc etc, etc,etc. NDC are not talkatives they are doers period
If these babies with sharp teeth have any good reason to believe the speaker has been bias towards them they will use structures of the house to resolve them. However because there are no basis for their allegations they move from one radio station to another using unprintable words against the Speaker. Their actions are a disgrace to parliament, the very institution they belong to. These MPs have lost the little respect majority of the citizens of the country have for them.
This man is too political. Every issue is viewed with political lenses hence rendering the house into one sided debate. This man is a political science and a history professor with less idea about law. He lacks the intellect to be a neutral person.Reshuffle him or we risk loosing our democratic credentials.
YOU HAVE BEEN VERY UNFAIR TO OUR DEMOCRACY IN GHAN MT SPEAKER, WE SEE EVERYTHING THAT HAPPENS AS COVERED BY MEDIA MEN, YOU ARE A DICTATOR, LIKE MOBUTU SESESEKO. YOU AS AN OLD MAN MUST BE FAIR TO ALL, AT LEAST 70% FAIRNESS AND 30% PARTISAN IS FAIR ENOUGH. BUT HERE IS THE CASE,95% UNFAIR AND PARTIAL. YOU CANNOT LIE TO US WE CAN SEE OURSELVES. MR SPEAKER, AS AN OLD MAN, WHAT DO YOU WANT TO BE REMEMBERED FOR WHEN YOU GO TO YOUR GRAVE? REMEMBER PEOPLE WERE IN THE SAME SIT YOU OCCUPY TODAY, WERE THEY LIKE THAT. DON'T DESTROY THE FOUNDATION OF DEMOCRACY IN GHANA. THE WORLD IS WATCHING! YOU ARE NOT SIMPLY FAIR
right Honorable has spoken BAM , the minority is just being petty, u reaping what u and your former speaker sown now the tables have turned so u r whinning