According to Muntaka, the Speaker has on several occasions refused to give the Minority the opportunity to make their views on some issues that come up for discussion on the floor, although they have such rights.

Muntaka made the remark in a Citi News interview today [Friday], March 2, 2018, after the House approved the controversial Legal Profession Regulations 2017 L.I. through a voice vote.

Among notable changes, the Subsidiary Legislation Committee recommended that the Ghana Legal Council should not be allowed to conduct interviews for entrants into the Ghana School of Law.

The Committee, however, said the entrance examinations for admission into the school would continue.

[contextly_sidebar id=”PT1uLQsi4qScVoUF3MPvd9kquQ9rXeCN”]Muntaka had insisted that the House should have done division voting where every Member of Parliament (MP) is given the opportunity to vote the way they wanted, but claims that he was completely ignored by the Speaker.

The LI was drawn up and laid in Parliament on December 22, 2017, in response to the Supreme Court order directing a parliamentary approval for the admission process into the Ghana School of Law and to the Ghana Bar.

Some concerned law students had earlier put pressure on Parliament not to pass the L.I. claiming it was not in the best interest of LLB students and potential lawyers in the country.

The Asawase MP had also opposed the entrance exams as a prerequisite for entry into the Ghana School of Law as captured in the L.I.

Muntaka according to Citi News’ Parliamentary Correspondent, Duke Mensah Opoku, stood on his feet for close to 20 minutes trying to catch the attention of the Speaker to make his point after the approval of the L.I, but was ignored.

According to Duke, Muntaka had wanted to challenge the vote and ask for a procedure of division on the voting of the L.I. but he was not given the opportunity.

Minority members who were also not happy with the issue hooted at the Speaker and chanted loudly in Parliament.

Muntaka in a Citi News interview expressed disappointment in the Speaker, and called on civil society groups to speak against Professor Oquaye’s actions.

“Civil society should be concerned about how the Speaker is conducting himself, it is so terrible. As for listening to us, you have to listen to us and make your ruling. If we want to challenge your ruling we know what to do, but to deliberately, continuously do what he is doing, I think he is a biggest threat to our democracy.”

Muntaka insisted that per Parliament’s Standing Orders “a member has the right to challenge the vote and ask that you [Speaker] should do either a head count or to go for division.”

“It is not for nothing that when we were voting from four years back to three years [SHS system], Paapa Owusu Ankomah knew that they did not have the numbers in the House, but he wanted it to be on the record that when this thing came to the House, this is what happened. That is why sometimes we call for the votes, but the Speaker deliberately just refused to see any of us.”

“The way he is behaving, I think all of us need to be concerned and be very worried about because it is too much unbecoming of the Speaker. As somebody who has written so many books on theory, now he has the opportunity to turn the theory into practical, and he is completely messing up. I doubt whether Mobutu [Sese Seko] or even Iddi Amin will be behaving the way he is doing. It is too shameful that the Speaker continues to do this and disregard the rules of the house,” the Asawase MP added.

I will disrespect you if you dare me – Haruna threatens Speaker

Minority Leader, Haruna Iddrisu, had expressed similar sentiments against the Speaker whom he said ignored him when he wanted to make a comment on the Floor of the House.

Haruna Iddrisu threatened to disregard the authority of the Speaker of Parliament if such actions persist.

This followed 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 last month, February 2018.

“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.

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By: Godwin Akweiteh Allotey/citifmonline.com/Ghana
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The post Prof. Oquaye is a threat to Ghana’s democracy – Muntaka fumes appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

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

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This follows the absence of the President and his Vice from the country for varied reasons.

[contextly_sidebar id=”aw5kQStjOXM86Q96FqZTbAtDjbvlJOKi”]The President is out of the country to attend the AU summit in Ethiopia, and the funeral of the late South African Jazz music legend, Hugh Masakela, while the Vice President is still in the United Kingdom on a medical leave.

The Speaker will have presidential powers until Wednesday 31st January, 2018.

Apaak criticizes another swearing-in of Speaker

The National Democratic Congress [NDC] Member of Parliament for Builsa South, Dr. Clement Apaak, had earlier expressed reservations with what he described as the impromptu summoning of Parliament for the second swearing-in of the Speaker to act as President in less than a week.

Speaking to Citi News after the announcement of the swearing-in in Parliament on Friday, Dr. Apaak said the processes prescribed by law were inconveniencing several MPs.

“As I speak to you, myself and many of my colleagues have engagements and activities in our constituencies and we are to leave, and yet we are expected to come back to the House at 8:30 am to swear in the Speaker as President. I don’t think it is sustainable.”

The MP said the government needs to provide some clarity on the matter to legislators.

“… So it is entirely the responsibility of the government of the day to come clean so that we can understand the conditions that would warrant us to make the kinds of sacrifices that we are expected to make. As it is now, we don’t understand the full story and a lot of us don’t feel that it is justified to always come in at the nick of time, as they did today, for us to come in tomorrow and swear in the Speaker as the acting President,” Dr. Apaak added.

Controversy over swearing-in

The law concerning the swearing-in was breached by a former Speaker of Parliament, Doe Adjaho in 2014, when he refused to take the oath of office as acting President at a point.

Both President Mahama and his Vice Kwesi Amissah-Arthur had traveled outside the country at the time.

This compelled the Managing Director of Citi FM, Samuel Atta-Mensah, and a United States-based Ghanaian lawyer, Prof. Kwaku Asare, to file a suit at the Supreme Court, to among other things, seek an interpretation of Article 60 (12) of the 1992 Constitution, which requires that the Speaker takes the oath of office each time he is to act as President.

The Supreme Court, in a unanimous decision, declared that the Speaker of Parliament, Edward Doe Adjaho, violated Article 60 (11)-(12) of the 1992 Constitution when he declined to be sworn in to act as President.

The nine-member panel, presided over by Justice Sophia Akuffo, also averred that the “Speaker of Parliament shall always, before assuming the functions of the Office of President when the President and the Vice-President are unable to perform their functions, take and subscribe to the oath set out in relation to the Office of President”.

Some political scientists have challenged the interpretation of the constitution and argue that when the elected President, Nana Akufo-Addo is still acting in his capacity as President outside the country, it is unnecessary to swear in an acting President.

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By: Duke Mensah Opoku/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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He was sworn into office by the Chief Justice, Sophia Akuffo on the floor of Parliament at an emergency sitting of the House.

He accordingly took the oath of office.

Prof. Oquaye’s swearing-in was necessitated by the absence of the elected president, Nana Akufo-Addo and his Vice, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia from the country.

Where is Akufo-Addo?

President Akufo-Addo left Ghana on Sunday for Monrovia, Liberia as a guest at the investiture of the President-elect of that country, George Weah.

… and Bawumia?

Dr. Bawumia left Ghana for the United Kingdom on Friday night on medical leave, according to the Presidency. This was after a statement from the Presidency indicated that he had taken ill earlier in the day and was undergoing medical checks.

It said upon the advice of his doctors, he was asked to travel to the UK for further checks.

What does the constitution say?

According to Article 60 (11) and (12) of the 1992 Constitution, “(11) Where the President and the Vice-President are both unable to perform the functions of the President, the Speaker of Parliament shall perform those functions until the President or the Vice-President is able to perform those functions or a new President assumes office, as the case may be.” “(12) The Speaker shall, before commencing to perform the functions of the President under clause (11) of this article, take and subscribe the oath set out in relation to the office of President.”

Meanwhile, some political scientists are challenging the interpretation of the constitution. They argue that since the elected President, Nana Akufo-Addo is still acting in his capacity as President while in Liberia, it is unnecessary to swear in Prof. Oquaye as acting President.

It will be recalled that when President Akufo-Addo took office in January 2017, he swore into office one of his appointees, Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey as the Foreign Affairs Minister while in Ethiopia.

When the swearing-in of a Speaker was breached

The law was breached by a former Speaker of Parliament, Doe Adjaho in 2014, when he refused take the oath of office as acting President at a point. Both President Mahama and his Vice Kwesi Amissah-Arthur, had traveled outside the country at the time.

This compelled the Managing Director of Citi FM, Samuel Atta-Mensah, and a United States-based Ghanaian lawyer, Prof. Kwaku Asare, to file a suit at the Supreme Court, to among other things, seek an interpretation of Article 60 (12) of the 1992 Constitution, which requires that the Speaker takes the oath of office each time he is to act as President.

The Supreme Court, in a unanimous decision, declared that the Speaker of Parliament, Mr. Edward Doe Adjaho, violated Article 60 (11)-(12) of the 1992 Constitution when he declined to be sworn in to act as President when President John Dramani Mahama and Vice-President Kwesi Bekoe Amissah-Arthur travelled outside the country in November 2014.

The nine-member panel, presided over by Mrs Justice Sophia Akuffo, also averred that the “Speaker of Parliament shall always, before assuming the functions of the Office of President when the President and the Vice-President are unable to perform their functions, take and subscribe to the oath set out in relation to the Office of President”.

“The Speaker is obliged to swear the oath each time he assumes the Office of the President. There is no ambiguity in articles 60 (11) and 60 (12),” Mr Justice Sulley Gbadegbe, who read the court’s decision, said.

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By: Jonas Nyabor/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post Prof. Oquaye sworn in as acting President [Video] appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

This comes after news that the Vice President, Dr. Bawumia had left the country for the UK on medical leave.

A statement issued by the First Deputy Speaker, Joseph Osei-Owusu on Friday on the emergency recall of the House said the event will take place in Parliament at 2:30pm.

Read the statement below:

RECALL OF PARLIAMENT
In exercise of the power conferred on the Speaker by order 42 (3) of the standing orders of the Parliament of Ghana, I, Honourable Joseph Osei-Owusu, First Deputy Speaker of Parliament, pursuant to order 13(2) do hereby summon Parliament to sit on Sunday, 21st January, 2018 at half past two o’clock in the afternoon at Parliament House, Accra for the swearing in of the Right Honourable Speaker as Acting President of the Republic in accordance with article 60(11) and (12) of the 1992 Constitution.

Date in the Office of the Speaker of Parliament, Accra, Ghana, this Friday, 19th January, 2018.

Hon. Joseph Osei-Owusu

According to the 1992 constitution, the Speaker of Parliament must be sworn in the absence of the President and Vice President.

Article 60 (11) and (12) of the 1992 Constitution states that: “(11) Where the President and the Vice-President are both unable to perform the functions of the President, the Speaker of Parliament shall perform those functions until the President or the Vice-President is able to perform those functions or a new President assumes office, as the case may be.” “(12) The Speaker shall, before commencing to perform the functions of the President under clause (11) of this article, take and subscribe the oath set out in relation to the office of President.”

Reports however suggest that, the President will be in Liberia for the swearing in of Liberia’s newly elected President, George Oppong Weah on Monday, January 22.

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By: Jonas Nyabor/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post Prof. Oquaye to be sworn in as acting President on Sunday appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

Members of Parliament were recalled from recess for today’s special sitting over the matter, upon the request of the Minority Chief Whip, Muntaka Mubarak.

Muntaka is asking the House to set up an ad-hoc committee to investigate the matter, adding that “It is important that these matters are investigated properly…I believe that as a House, we will do what we think is right.”

The heated argument came about after the Majority Leader, Osei Kyei Mensah-Bonsu, described the motion filed by Muntaka as incompetent.

The Majority Leader had argued that, the motion calling for the special sitting and an ad-hoc committee, was not properly done and thus constitutes a “gross abuse of the processes of the House,” a claim Haruna Iddrisu vehemently rejected.

Muntaka’s name not in motion for special sitting

Osei Kyei Mensah-Bonsu disclosed that, Muntaka’s name was not part of MPs who signed the letter accompanying the memorandum, adding that 28 of the MPs who were said to have appended their signatures did not do so, but only had their names captured on the letter.

He described it as a “clear case of misrepresentation” because the letter said the “under listed have appended their signatures.”

Osei Kyei Mensah-Bonsu noted that, some of the Minority MPs including Collins Daudu, Eric Opoku, Oko Vanderpuije, Zanetor Agyeman Rawlings, Inusah Fuseini, Alban Bagbin among others, have all not appended their signatures to the memo.

“There are many more names listed, and we are being told they have appended their signatures but they have not.”

Osei Kyei Mensah-Bonsu further described the motion as “incompetent” and thus called for it to be rejected by the Speaker of Parliament.

“So the issue that I raised has to do with misrepresentation and it will be a gross abuse of the processes to come and pray. The second item is that, we should come and correct votes and proceedings. Mr. Speaker, the young indeed shall grow. On the allegations, we have heard the claims put in the public domain. Today, we are witnessing a shift of goal post. The motion before us has nothing to do with extortion.”

“Mr. Speaker, you will notice that I have not attempted to respond to the issue…I’ve not gone into what they are saying…because the motion itself does not talk about that. This is incompetence. They should learn the procedures of this house.  Their motion has very wobbly legs. This is a very incompetent motion that has been submitted. So I will urge and pray that you dismiss this. When they come properly even today, we are ready to debate them,” he added.

Muntaka fights back

Unhappy with the claims by the Majority Leader, Muntaka insisted that the motion was competent, adding that “it is most shocking and very disingenuous for the Majority Leader to even imagine that what was done was wrong.”

“My colleague the Majority Leader thinks he is smart. He should read the laws well. The request is in the memo and that is where my signature is,” he argued.

Minority Leader, Haruna Iddrisu, also joined the argument, saying the motion in his possession had enough signatures to fulfill the requirement for such motions.

Speaker of Parliament rules

In his ruling, the Speaker of Parliament described the issues raised on the motion as “procedural irregularities” and suspended the House for 30 minutes in order to have the issues rectified.

“…Those applicants cannot determine the agenda for the House. The business of the house is done by the Executive. When you say I’m forwarding this on behalf of the applicants herein, and the application is attached, it is a procedural irregularity. This matter is a matter of grave importance. The procedural irregularities are being stated so that it must not be repeated. I will therefore direct the House to break for 30 minutes for the procedural irregularities to be corrected. As for those who did not sign it, it is neither here nor there. As far as the number of people required sign, it is so signed. We will suspend the House for 30 minutes and deal with the composition of the actual committee.”

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By: Godwin Akweiteh Allotey/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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The post MPs in heated argument as Parliament sits over ‘expatriates saga’ appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

The Speaker of Parliament, Prof Mike Oquaye, has thus urged parliamentarians to gear up for a dispassionate debate of the budget.

According to the Speaker, a high level debate on the budget would send a strong signal to the Executive that Parliament would keenly monitor the implementation of the budget for the well-being of Ghanaians.

Prof Mike Oquaye made these remarks at the Post Budget Workshop for MPs in Koforidua.

“In the budget matter, some people get the impression that the economists and the statisticians are going to talk, it is not so.  So I will ask every member to roll his or her sleeves during the budget time. I feel uncomfortable when honourable members begin to stop other members to stop all those theories [and go straight to making their arguments].”

“A budget must have a conceptual and philosophical underpinning so that we will not allow a Minister for Finance to get away with not reconciling the good aims announced with actual provisions that will ensure their realization. This is very important, and moments you begin to think in this conceptual manner, there is no aspect of the budget that you cannot seriously analyze and make contributions  to,” he added.

Stop post budget workshop for selected MPs, leaders

Meanwhile, the Minority Leader, Haruna Iddrissu, had earlier called on Parliament to stop the practice of organizing a post budget workshop for only selected Members and leaders of Parliament.

According to him, this practice, which has existed over the years in the House, does not allow for quality and in-depth debate on issues raised in the budget.

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By: Godwin A. Allotey & Duke Mensah Opoku/citifmonline.com/Ghana
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This was captured in a communication from the Presidency and read on the Floor of Parliament by the Speaker, Mike Oquaye.

“Mr. Speaker, following the resignation of the former Deputy Minister for Agriculture, Hon. William Quaitoo, MP, in consultation with my Minister for Agriculture, Hon. Dr. Owusu Afriyie Akoto, pursuant to article 79 (1) of the Constitution, I have nominated Hon. Kennedy Osei Nyarko, Member of Parliament for Akim Swedru as Deputy Minister designate for Agriculture for approval of Parliament,” he read.

Mr. Nyarko replaces William Quaitoo who resigned from the position following some comments he made which were deemed as ethnocentric in relation to the fall army worm invasion saga.

Mr. Nyarko is currently the Chairman of Parliament’s Local Government Committee.

The Akim Oda MP, William Quaitoo, tendered in his resignation in August 2017, following pressure from the Minority, and some civil society groups for making ethnocentric comments, which was triggered during a conversation on how government has dealt with the fall army worm invasion in the three regions of the North.

Mr. Quaitoo’s exit from the Ministry was triggered by the following comments he made:

Our brothers [in northern Ghana], it is so difficult to deal with them. I lived there for 27 years, I speak Dagbani like a Dagomba and all that. They are very difficult people. Nobody can substantiate. If anybody says that his farm was destroyed by armyworm, the person would have to come and prove it. We have no records of that. It’s just a way of taking money from the government; that’s what they do all the time.

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By: Godwin A. Allotey & Duke Mensah Opoku/citifmonline.com/Ghana
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His remarks follow advocacy from a group of eight Ghanaians in Canada who have petitioned the Canadian government to put pressure on Ghana to decriminalize homosexuality.

[contextly_sidebar id=”1TbjaBj96KLfTbSkINDSucn9ollIzlYf”]Addressing the press in Parliament on Wednesday, the Assin South MP said the country must stick to its position not to legalize homosexuality in spite of international pressure.

“…Without prejudice to the position of the Parliament of Ghana, Government of Ghana, any religious body or political party on the subject of homosexuality, lesbianism and bestiality, premised on my deepest convictions and principles as a Christian, Reverend Minister and a proud advocate of Jesus Christ and legislator, Member of Parliament for Assin South constituency, I hereby openly, and unequivocally declare my firm position against the views of the members of an advocacy group who on Thursday, August 17, 2017 sought to canvass support from certain powerful persons in institutions in Canada to put pressure on Ghana to decriminalize homosexuality.”

Describing the acts by the eight Ghanaians as a “demonic agenda,” Mr. Fordjour who is also the Chairman of Ghana-Canada Parliamentary Friendship Association as well as a Vice Chairman of Parliamentary Committee on Members Holding Offices of Profit said such deeds defile the traditions and customs of the country.

“It is worth stating that the constitution of Ghana makes adequate provision which debar homosexuality, lesbianism, bestiality and such acts that defile the core tenets of our beliefs, values, customs and traditions as a people,” he added.

The issue over Ghana’s legalization of homosexuality continues to be an unending debate in the country.

Whereas some human rights activists call for its legalization, others argue against it.

We’re fed up with demands for gay rights – Speaker

Speaker of Parliament, Prof Mike Oquaye, in July 2017 warned that Ghana would not countenance the aggressive push by external forces to accept acts such as homosexuality, bestiality among others.

“Following what Tony Blair said which I personally wrote him a letter that if we do not go the homosexual way, it was going to affect their aid to us. Honestly in view of these developments, we Africans are also concerned about certain things that may appear really intellectual …It is becoming a human right in some countries; the right to do homosexuality, the right for a human being to sleep with an animal. We are tired of some of these things and we must be frank about it…I think all these matters need to be seriously interrogated,” said the Speaker when some official from Amnesty International paid a courtesy call on him.

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By: Godwin A. Allotey & Duke M. Opoku/citifmonline.com/Ghana
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