The trial of Minority Leader Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson is significantly impacting the operations of Parliament, as National Democratic Congress (NDC) Members of Parliament have chosen to boycott proceedings in solidarity with their leader whenever he appears in court. This boycott has resulted in substantial delays in the legislative process, as proceedings are often stalled until Dr. Forson returns to the chamber, where he frequently raises issues of quorum.
Tensions escalated during a recent parliamentary session when Deputy Speaker Andrew Amoako Asiamah, who was presiding, refused to call for a headcount, stating it was not yet time. This decision nearly led to chaos in the House. During the session, a disagreement over the management of speaking time further highlighted the ongoing friction.
Speaker of the House stated, “My time is not yet up to 10 minutes,” to which Ketu North MP James Klutse Avedzi countered, “The time the bell was rung, we all heard it. If you are telling this house that you are using your time…” The Speaker responded, “I am saying the time I called for the bell, it is left with 2 minutes, so allow me.” Mr. Avedzi challenged this by stating, “Mr. Speaker, the framers of the 1992 Constitution never contemplated that a speaker would have a special time different from the rest.”
These heated exchanges underscored the ongoing procedural tensions within the House. NDC MPs faced accusations of attempting to frustrate government business through their actions. However, Kintampo North MP Joseph Kwame Kumah refuted these allegations, describing them as false.
“It should be on record that it is even the Minority who are more in the House, so if anybody should say we are thwarting government business, it is not true,” Kumah asserted. Ketu North MP Dr. James Klutse Avedzi also defended the Minority, claiming that the majority side is trying to incite Ghanaians against the Minority, adding that such attempts would not succeed. He questioned the fairness of preventing Dr. Forson from representing his constituents.
“If they want us to do the work, which they term as frustration, then they should allow Ato Forson to also represent his constituents. They should drop the case because this is a case where they [government] are in charge,” Dr. Avedzi argued.
Due to the lack of agreement, the House was suspended for an hour. When proceedings resumed, a quorum was still not established, leading to the adjournment of the House.
Source: GhanaFeed.Com