{"id":393770,"date":"2018-01-22T07:05:48","date_gmt":"2018-01-22T07:05:48","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/citifmonline.com\/?p=393770"},"modified":"2018-01-22T10:33:42","modified_gmt":"2018-01-22T10:33:42","slug":"speaker-needs-only-oath-of-secrecy-to-act-as-president-majority-leader","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/2018\/01\/speaker-needs-only-oath-of-secrecy-to-act-as-president-majority-leader\/","title":{"rendered":"Speaker needs only Oath of Secrecy to act as President – Majority Leader"},"content":{"rendered":"
Majority Leader, Osei Kyei Mensah-Bonsu, has suggested that future Speakers of Parliament who may have to act as President be allowed to take only the Oath of Secrecy.<\/p>\n
At the moment, Speakers of Parliament who serve as acting President in the absence of both the President and the Vice, are to take only the Oath of Office.<\/p>\n
[contextly_sidebar id=”7KJGafYwpxEaTxKcoFmM7NuKnBBMIyoc”]But speaking on the floor of Parliament on Sunday after Professor Michael Oquaye was sworn in as acting President, Mr. Mensah-Bonsu said the country could take a second look at the arrangement.<\/p>\n
He argued further that the Speaker of Parliament is already administered the Oath of Allegiance\u00a0when sworn in as Speaker of Parliament.<\/p>\n
“The Speaker did not take Oath of Secrecy. For the Oath of Allegiance, the Speaker has already taken it, so I would want to plead that going forward, whenever he has to be sworn in, he does not need to take the Oath of Allegiance because he has already done so as a Speaker. What he didn\u2019t do was the Oath of Secrecy that is done by the President.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSo I would think that, going forward, when the Speaker has to be sworn in as a President, the Oath of Secrecy would have to be admitted. It\u00a0has never been done, but I guess we can improve our own procedures,\u201d the Majority Leader stated.<\/p>\n
The Oath of Secrecy<\/strong><\/p>\n The Oath of Secrecy is taken to ensure that one does not reveal State secrets.<\/p>\n The Oath of Secrecy says: \u201cI,………………………………………………………………………………………………holding the office of…………………………………………..do (in the name of the Almighty God swear) (solemnly affirm) that I will not directly or indirectly communicate or reveal to any person any matter which shall be brought under my consideration or shall come to my knowledge in the discharge of my official duties except as may be required for the discharge of my official duties or as may be specially permitted by law. (So help me God)”<\/em><\/p>\n It is to be sworn before the President, the Chief Justice or such other person as the President may designate.<\/p>\n