Members of Parliament (MP) from the New Patriotic Party have voiced their disagreement with remarks made by the Majority Leader, Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, in which he criticised the Speaker of Parliament for adjourning parliamentary proceedings on Wednesday. These MPs are from the NPP.
The sitting was adjourned by the Speaker, Alban Bagbin, so that he and the members of the House may attend the 2023 National Development Conference, which was hosted by the Church of Pentecost at the Pentecost Convention Centre in Gomoa Fetteh. The purpose of the conference was to debate national concerns with officials from the government.
The conference, which takes place over two days and comes to a close on Friday, focuses on the topic of 'Moral Vision and National Development.'
In his speech on the floor of Parliament on Wednesday, Mr. Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu questioned the Speaker's ruling and warned that, if precautions are not taken, "We may be setting some precedent that may be difficult to follow."
He strongly suggested that Mr. Bagbin exercise caution in order to avoid creating a negative example for any other religious denominations that might come to invite the House in the future.
There was apparently no formal statement on the floor of Parliament to that effect, as stated by the Member of Parliament for the Suame Constituency.
However, Mr. Bagbin cut him off in the middle of his comment and indicated that there was an official communication regarding the event.
"I emphasised to everyone how significant the event was," the speaker said. When I told the House, I also indicated that other dignitaries, such as the Chief Justice and the President, as well as the House itself, are invited to the event; so, it is not simply the Speaker or the Leaders who are invited. I also encouraged members to take part in the proceedings that were going on. Therefore, I have already done that; the only difference is that you weren't there," he explained.
As a result of this, a number of members of parliament have rushed to Mr. Bagbin's support, stating that there was nothing wrong with the decision he made.
After the conclusion of day one of the conference, the Member of Parliament for the Assin South Constituency, Rev. John Ntim Fordjour, gave an interview to JoyNews in which he stated that "If there's anything that was to hold on for this event to take place, it is worth it."
Alexandar Kwesi Acquah (NPP), the Member of Parliament for the Akim Oda Constituency, echoed the sentiments of his colleague and stated, "In Parliament, some of these bills have been lagging behind because we haven't been oriented so well because of mindset, because of our thinking too much of politics." This was made on behalf of Alexandar Kwesi Acquah's side of the argument.
Patrick Boakye Yiadom, a member of parliament from the Obuasi East Constituency, was also in agreement with the decision made by the Speaker. He stated that "when he declared that there will be no sitting today, it literally means it is a national event so the Speaker was not wrong."
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