Minority's Attack On Speaker Is Dangerous Precedent- Draman

The country director for the Canadian parliamentary services Dr. Rasheed Draman has criticised the Minority's handling of the ruling given by the Speaker of Parliament on the controversial Merchant Bank sale to Fortiz. Dr Draman says the criticism is a "dangerous precedent" in the country's young democracy. The Speaker of Parliament Edward Doe Adjaho on Monday dismissed a motion filed by 80 Minority Members of Parliament which sought to demand a parliamentary inquiry into the sale of Merchant Bank to Fortiz. Mr Adjaho said the transaction is already a subject in court, adding Parliament will be seen to be prejudicing the matter if it went ahead with the investigations. He therefore described as "out of order" the motion filed and dismissed it accordingly. The Minority in Parliament was unimpressed with the ruling and accused the Speaker of bias. At a press conference in Accra on Thursday, the Minority Leader, Osei Kyei Mensah-Bonsu among other things accused the Speaker of predetermining the outcome of the motion, even before it was argued out in Parliament. In a reaction, the country director for the Canadian Parliamentary Services Dr. Rasheed Draman said the Minority ought to have used a different approach. He said any attack on the Speaker tended to douse the authority of the Speaker. The Majority Chief Whip Alhaji Muntaka Mubarak was also disappointed with the minority's reaction. He said the Speaker's ruling was based on law and wondered why the minority members who profess to be legal luminaries would have problems with it. He admonished the Minority to respect the office of the Speaker.