Parliament split in equal half for NDC and NPP MPs
Parliament vets nominees for ministerial positions
MPs throw punches over E-Levy
If there is one thing that has been distinguishing about the Parliament of Ghana in the year in review, then it has been the fact that this Eight Parliament of the Fourth Republic of Ghana has been littered with so many controversies.
From the evening of January 6, into the dawn of the following day, January 7, it can be said that the year was filled with quite a lot of parliament-related topics.
In this listicle, GhanaWeb brings you some of the top controversies that have rocked parliament in 2021.
Election of Speaker of Parliament:
On January 7, 2021, during the election of the new Speaker of Parliament, confusion broke out on the floor of the House.
The House, with a historic equal split of Members of Parliament on both sides of the House, had to elect a new Speaker, between Prof. Mike Aaron Oquaye, and the candidate of the opposition party, Alban Bagbin.
At the counting of results, becoming clear that the latter had won, the MP for Tema West, Carlos Ahenkorah, run and grabbed some ballot sheets from the table, attempting to run away with it, but he was swiftly chased by Mohammed-Mubarak Muntaka, the Minority Chief Whip, and overpowered.
Before long, even more chaos erupted in the Chamber, leading to the presence of some fully-armed military men, making their way onto the floor of the House: something that has never happened before.
Ministerial vettings:
The Minister for Public Enterprises, Joseph Cudjoe, was nearly turned away from being vetted when he appeared before the Appointments Committee of Parliament in February.
The Ranking Member on the Committee, Haruna Iddrisu, referring an Executive Instrument sent to the House by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, indicated how the said ministry was conspicuously missing in the document.
In seeking clarity, he stated that while the president has the executive authority to appoint, he must do so according to law.
After a few minutes of going back and forth, seeking clarity on exactly what should be done about the peculiarity of the situation, the Chairman of the Committee ruled that the vetting continues.
However, a question from one of the members brought back the matter, causing yet again, another non-consensus on what the next step should be.
Eventually, it was agreed by the Committee that they go on a recess, to seek better clarity, even if requires calling the Office of the President, before they return.
The nominee at the time was however eventually vetted.
Rejection of 2022 Budget:
History was made on November 26, 2021, when the 2022 Budget Statement and Economic Policy as presented to the House by the Minister of Finance, Ken Ofori-Atta, was rejected.
This was after the MPs on the Majority side of the House staged a walkout on the very motion they had tabled before the House, giving way for the remaining 137 members of the Minority side to reject the budget.
In putting the matter of the budget approval to a vote, Speaker Alban Bagbin said: “We will proceed to put the question on the motion.
“The question is, those in favour of the motion numbered 11 on the Order Paper, which states and I read: ‘That this Honourable House approves the Budget Statement and Economic Policy of the Government for the Year Ending December 2022.’
“Those in favour of the motion say “I,” [dead silence]. Those against the motion say “no” [Loud No follows]. Honourable Members, clearly the “Nos” have it, it is accordingly lost,” he ruled.
Overturn of budget rejection and controversial approval:
When parliament resumed sitting on November 30, 2021, a most controversial things happened: the House overturned the Friday, November 26, decision that rejected the budget.
This time, it was only the Members of Parliament on the Majority side who were present in the House, allowing for them to take this decision.
However, with the Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, away on the day, the First Deputy Speaker, Joseph Osei-Owusu, who is also the MP for Bekwai, sat in the chair.
When it was time to count MPs in the House to enable a vote for a quorum, the sit-in Speaker counted himself in, making it possible for the budget to be approved.
Minority moves motion to overturn budget approval:
On December 1, 2021, when it was a full House, the Minority caucus in parliament moved a motion to overturn Tuesday’s budget approval by all majority Members of Parliament.
Leader of the Minority, Haruna Iddrisu, in moving the motion said it is of utmost importance.
Citing Article 104 (1) of the Constitution and Order 109(1) of the Standing Orders of Parliament, the Tamale Central MP said the first deputy speaker, Joseph Osei Owusu, erred by adding himself to the majority MPs numbers.
“Therefore Mr. Speaker [Joseph Osei Owusu], I am calling for a rescission of that decision of yesterday [Tuesday November 30,2021],” he said.
This however did not materialize after the sit-in Speaker refused to admit their request, leading to chaos in the House.
Fisticuffs in parliament over E-Levy:
Hell broke loose in parliament’s chamber on December 20, 2021, as Minority MPs strongly resisted attempts by the First Deputy Speaker, Joseph Osei Owusu (Joe Wise), to cede his chair to Second Deputy Speaker, Andrew Asiamah, for him (Joe Wise) to go and participate in the voting process to decide on whether the E-Levy bill should be admitted under a certificate of urgency.