Minority Leader, Haruna Iddrisu, has threatened to disregard the authority of the Speaker of Parliament, Professor Aaron Mike Oquaye.
This follows what he describes as the Speaker’s failure to recognize him when he wanted to make an intervention during the debate on the Special Petroleum Tax today [Thursday].
What further angered the Minority Leader was the fact that the Speaker rather called the Majority Leader for his contribution, even though he, Haruna Iddrisu, had been standing for several minutes.
Following the sequence of events, Mr. Iddrisu was finally given the opportunity to speak, where he expressed his disappointment.
“I am sad at the way you have treated me as Minority Leader. I stood up before the Majority Leader. You owe me that courtesy and that respect. Mr. Speaker, even after hearing him [Majority Leader], you have still not decided whether to hear me or not,” he said.
Mr. Iddrisu stressed that he was acting within the Standing Orders of Parliament, citing order 130. He further asserted that Prof. Oquaye “must respect the Standing Orders as chair of this House… therefore, you owe me every duty and every standard of care to hear me on this matter.”
“Mr. Speaker, you owe me, I don’t want to ever disrespect you but if you invite me, I will,” the Minority Leader concluded
Other members of the Minority in Parliament were angered by Prof. Oquaye’s actions and three of them: the North Tongu MP, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa; Sagnarigu MP, A.B.A. Fuseini and the Adaklu MP, Kwame Agbodza even walked out, according to Citi News’ Parliamentary Correspondent, Duke Mensah Opoku
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By: Delali Adogla-Bessa/ citifmonline.com/Ghana