By Iddi Yire
Accra, Nov 07, GNA – Dr Cassiel Ato Baah Forson, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) Parliamentary Caucus Leader, has expressed his disappointment over the absence of the New Patriotic Party NPP Caucus in the Chamber of the House at the recall on Thursday, November 7
The lack of business for the House to transact and the absence of the NPP Caucus in the Chamber led to the Speaker adjourning the House indefinitely.
Speaking to Members of the Parliamentary Press Corps, immediately after the adjournment, Dr Forson said the NDC Caucus was extremely disappointed in the NPP Caucus for first triggering a recall of Parliament under Article 112 (3) and Order 53 of Standing Orders and failing to show up.
“We left our busy schedules, suspended our campaigns and reported to duty this morning only to see that the NPP Members of Parliament who actually recalled Parliament, you noticed that they failed to show up,” he said.
“This morning at about seven o’clock we showed up at the Business Committee Meeting at the sixth floor (of the Job Six Hundred Building) only to notice that the NPP Members of the Committee once again failed to show up at the Business Committee.
“I personally called the Committee Clerk, and I was informed that she is out of the jurisdiction, and no one has reached out to her to programme the business of the day.”
Dr Forson noted that he was worried and reached out also to the NPP Side and to have an indication as to what their plan was, but no one responded.
“I am completely worried and deeply concerned that the very people that requested Parliament to be recalled failed to show up,” he said, adding, “clearly what we are seeing here is an abuse of the Standing Orders of Ghana’s Parliament.
“The NPP ‘Minority’ Caucus have indeed, caused financial loss to the state, and to us the NDC Members of Parliament and the people of Ghana.”
He stated further: “We say this because this recall cost Ghana money, this is not the first time that they have done this, they’ve done this a couple of times, but we see nothing than disrespect.”
Dr Forson called on the people of Ghana to see the behavior of the NPP and punish them accordingly by voting against them in the December 7 general election.
He said certainly everything shows that the NPP was tired, and they were fed up, and not ready to work for the people.
He said the NPP Caucus were short of ideas, and they could not solve the suffering of the people.
Dr Forson said over 100 NDC MPs were present in the Chamber on Thursday to conduct business of the House.
“This shows that the NDC is ready to work for the people of Ghana,” he added
At Thursday’s sitting, the NDC Caucus occupied the right-hand side of the Speaker, which used to be occupied by the NPP Caucus.
The disagreement between the NPP Caucus and the NDC Caucus over which side of the House constitutes the Majority in Parliament follows Speaker Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin’s declaration of four Parliamentary seats vacant for breach of Article 97(1)(g) and (h).
The four Parliamentary seats declared vacant by the Speaker on Thursday, October 17, are Amenfi Central, Fomena, Agona West and Suhum Constituencies, for breaches of Article 9(1)(g) and (h) of the 1992 Constitution by the Members of Parliament (MPs).
Article 97(1) states: “A member of Parliament shall vacate his seat in Parliament — (g) if he leaves the party of which he was a member at the time of his election to Parliament to join another party or seeks to remain in Parliament as an independent member; or (h) if he was elected a member of Parliament as an independent candidate and joins a political party.”
The Speaker ruled that the four MPs by their various actions for deciding to file to contest the December 7, 2024, parliamentary election in different capacities, as either independent candidates or on the ticket of a political party by that action, have vacated their seats in the current Parliament.
The four MPs are Cynthia Mamle Morrison for Agona West, Kwadjo Asante for Suhum, both NPP MPs who have filed to contest the next parliamentary election as independent candidates and Peter Kwakye-Ackah for Amenfi Central, an NDC MP who has also filed to contest the next election as an independent candidate.
The fourth MP is Andrew Asiamah Amoako, MP for Fomena who is also the Second Deputy Speaker, who was elected as an independent candidate but has filed to contest the 2024 parliamentary election on the ticket of the NPP.
The Speaker’s ruling which, he made was a formal response to the House in relation to a matter of significant parliamentary and constitutional importance, which was brought to the attention of the House on Tuesday, October 15, by Dr Cassiel Ato Baah Forson, the then Minority Leader and NDC MP for Ajumako/Enyan/Essiam, pursuant to Order 93 of the Standing Orders of Parliament.
This development has left the NPP Caucus with 135 MPs and the NDC Caucus with 136 MPs.
However, the Supreme Court on Friday, October 18, set aside the Speaker’s ruling and directed him to allow the four affected MPs to participate in the business of the House.
The nation’s apex court has set November 11, to give its ruling on the matter.
GNA
