A major debate opened in Parliament on Tuesday after a strong push by Majority MPs to have the presiding Speaker declare the Talensi seat in the House vacant.
[contextly_sidebar id=”hWALClHeR9hhsORqRchIY20I3z14YpcR”] It started after Majority Chief Whip, Alhaji Mohammed Mubarak Muntaka, drew the attention of the House to recent news reports that the MP for Talensi, Robert Masore Nachinab Doameng, has been elevated to the status of Paramount Chief for Talensi.
Citing the relevant provisions of the 1992 Constitution, the Asawase legislator argued that the New Patriotic Party (NPP) MP’s continuous stay in office as lawmaker after having been made a Paramount Chief offends the Ghanaian law.
He further argued that Robert Masore should do the honourable thing by resigning.
“It started like hearsay, and we heard it in our media that our colleague, Robert Masore has been enskinned as a chief, Mr Speaker, the reason why I read the constitutional provision is the impression people are creating that it has to be gazetted, the constitution never mentioned that the issue should be gazetted,” he insisted.
Mubarak Muntaka observed that “the whole of last week, our colleague was absent …, he never sought permission. Mr Speaker, I think that, morally and as a matter of principle and the Hansard, our colleague, knowing very well that he is going to be enskinned should not have waited for even this delay, he should have done the honourable thing by simple resigning.”
But the Minority MPs argued otherwise.
Deputy Minority Chief Whip, Ignatius Baffour Awuah insisted that the Talensi MP should not be sacked until claims that he had been elevated to the status of a Paramount Chief had been substantiated.
“This is a house that deals with facts and records. Mr Speaker I’m not aware that a member of this House has been installed as a chief. Even if it is so, we have to be officially informed. Mr Speaker we have to avoid a situation where we come here and instead of talking of facts then we are playing to the gallery. We are law abiding people, we cannot go against the constitution of this nation. If it is proven that indeed, that the honourable member has been made a chief, we will all support what the constitution says but until that is done I cannot see myself agreeing to what he has said,” he argued.
In ruling on the matter, the Presiding Speaker, Ebo Barton Oduro stated that Parliament will apply the necessary provisions in Parliament’s Standing Orders if Robert Nachinab fails to notify Parliament within 15 sitting days about his new position.
Per Parliament’s Standing Orders “A Member shall not absent himself during a meeting for more than fifteen sittings without the permission in writing of the Speaker. Any Member infringing this Order shall have his conduct referred to the Privileges Committee.”
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By: Godwin Akweiteh Allotey/citifmonline.com/Ghana
Follow @AlloteyGodwin