With only a day left for the sixth Parliament of the fourth republic to rise, the relationship between the Minority and the Speaker of Parliament appears to be getting sour.
Minority Leader Osei Kyei Mensah Bonsu after engaging the Speaker in a feisty banter on the floor on Wednesday told Joy News on Thursday the Speaker, Edward Doe Adjaho does not have the power to set his own agenda for discussion on the floor.
“It doesn’t lie in the Speaker’s mouth to determine what Parliament will do,” the Minority Leader fired, and accused the Speaker of spearheading a “patapaa” [bullish] administration.
He explained the leader of government businesses has that power to table issues for discussion on the floor, not the Speaker.
The House is saddled with a number bills to pass before it rises but disagreement between the Minority and Majority on one hand and the Speaker on the other hand, meant Parliament sat for only 15 minutes Joy FM’s Joseph Gakpo reported.
Much of what has happened on Thursday is a desperate meeting between the leadership of the house to find an amicable way to settle the growing impasse.
The Minority was insisting that until the Executive submits its handing over notes to the Legislature in accord with the Transition Act, it will not be part of the business of the House.
Osei Kyei-Mensah Bonsu said if the Executive had followed the law, the Minority would have known what projections the government has made between the time the handing over notes was submitted and the time the administration hands over power.
The Transition Act mandates an outgoing government to submit its handing over notes to Parliament and the Administrator General 30 days to an election.
More than two weeks after election, Kyei-Mensah Bonsu is alleging the Executive has still not submitted the notes.
Rather, it is engaging in latter day appointments to undeserving party loyalists in key state institutions like the police, military and immigration service, the Minority Leader jabbed.
He said no budget has been set aside to pay for the new recruits and hinted an Akufo-Addo administration will review these appointment when he takes over.
Joseph Opoku Gakpo reported that activities in the House stalled for several hours with key businesses including the passage of the Karpower deal, RTI Bill, loan agreements etc all begging to be passed.
After several hours, the House returned without the Speaker, but with his Deputy Ebo Barton Oduro sitting in.
Gakpo reported the House has decided to step down the passage of the Karpower purchasing deal until tomorrow.
The RTI Bill was part of the business to be considered before the misunderstanding arose in the morning but when the MPs returned the Bill was no longer part of the business to be considered.
It is not clear when the Bill which has delayed for almost 13 years will be passed.
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