{"id":364630,"date":"2017-10-24T10:57:07","date_gmt":"2017-10-24T10:57:07","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/citifmonline.com\/?p=364630"},"modified":"2017-10-24T10:57:07","modified_gmt":"2017-10-24T10:57:07","slug":"dukes-parliamentary-diaries-week-3-media-sanity-and-tug-of-ameri","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/2017\/10\/dukes-parliamentary-diaries-week-3-media-sanity-and-tug-of-ameri\/","title":{"rendered":"Duke\u2019s Parliamentary diaries: Week 3 \u2013 Media sanity and tug of Ameri"},"content":{"rendered":"
Parliamentary proceedings for the third week of the third meeting of this parliamentary session, begun last Tuesday [October 17, 2017] with the invocation of Standing Order 14(2) which states \u201c<\/em>Whenever the House is informed by the Clerk at the Table of the unavoidable absence of Mr. Speaker, the First Deputy Speaker shall perform the duties and exercise the authority of Mr. Speaker in relation to all proceedings of the house until Mr. Speaker resumes the Chair, without any further communication to the House.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n The Speaker was not in his chair throughout the week because he was not available but in my view, that did not in any way affect the smooth running of proceedings as First Deputy Speaker, Joe Osei owusu (NPP MP, Bekwai) and Second Deputy Speaker Alban Bagbin (NDC MP, Nadowli-Kaleo) steered the affairs of the House creditably from Tuesday through to Friday.<\/p>\n On the Floor<\/strong><\/p>\n Some Ministers who were programmed to answer questions on the Floor of the House did not show up for various reasons including the fact that some of them had to be part of the team hosting President Alassane Ouattara [Ivorian President] who was in the country at the time.<\/p>\n This incurred the \u201cwrath\u201d of the Minority and at different times within the week. Members on the front bench of the Minority such as Chief Whip Alhaji Muntaka Mubarak (NDC MP, Asawase) and Deputy Minority Leader, James Klutse Avedzi (NDC MP,Ketu North) protested the non-appearance of the Ministers on the Floor.<\/p>\n Matters came to a head on Friday [October 20, 2017] when Second Deputy Speaker, Alban Bagbin then in the Speaker\u2019s chair, rejected the explanation of the Majority as to why the Minister for Roads and Highways, Kwesi Amoako- Atta (MP, Atiwa West) failed to honour the invitation of the House and did not assign any of his deputies to represent him in answering questions from Alhassan Suhuyini (MP, Tamale North) regarding the roads in his constituency.<\/p>\n Not even the explanation of Majority Chief Whip, Kwesi Ameyaw-Cheremeh (MP, Sunyani East) that the Ministers were at a retreat, could dissuade the note of caution Alban Bagbin gave the front bench of the Majority.<\/p>\n Special Prosecutor Bill<\/strong><\/p>\n Within the week, the report of the Constitutional, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Committee on the Office of the Special Prosecutor Bill was laid on the Floor of the House.<\/p>\n Ranking Member of the Committee, Alhaji Inusah Fuseini (NDC MP, Tamale Central) insisted in an interview with me that Parliament had the power to carve out the office of the Special Prosecutor by law despite differing legal opinions proferred by respected Senior Law Lecturer at the University Of Ghana School of Law, Dr Raymond Atuguba on the constitutional questions that surround the bill.<\/p>\n Throughout the week, the Employment, State Enterprises and Social Welfare Committee of the House chaired by Kwame Anyimadu Antwi(NPP MP,Asante Akim Central) presented amendments to the Northern, Middle Belt and Coastal Development Authority bills which went through the consideration stage.<\/p>\n NCA statement on the floor of Parliament<\/strong><\/p>\n The highlight for me on the Floor was the heated debate on Thursday that flowed from the \u201cfiery\u201d speech of Communications Minister<\/strong><\/a><\/span>, Ursula Owusu-Ekuful (NPP MP, Ablekuma West) on the sanctions of the National Communications Authority (NCA).<\/p>\n The Minister’s speech essentially bordered on her outfit’s resolve to bring sanity\u00a0in the media space by ensuring that the NCA does not renege on its regulatory role through the issuance of sanctions as and when necessary.<\/p>\n