The New Patriotic Party (NPP) Member of Parliament (MP) for Tarkwa-Nsuem, George Mireku Duker, caused a stir in parliament yesterday when he brought an old gas cylinder to the chamber and lifted it high to support a point in his contribution to the debate on the government’s 2018 budget, much to the chagrin of the minority National Democratic Congress (NDC) members.
The Tarkwa-Nsuaem MP was stressing a point that Nana Akufo-Addo’s government intends to introduce gas cylinder re-circulation module for which the Ministry of Energy would ensure excellent and safe marketing and distribution of gas cylinders to facilitate and increase the use of gas across the country and help save the environment from destruction.
He said the re-circulation of the cylinder would help get rid of all the old cylinders from the system which have been sources of domestic fire outbreaks.
Mr Mireku Duker’s way of stressing the point that the government would be replacing all old cylinders in the system under the Gas Cylinder Re-Circulation Module, drew consternation from the NDC members.
They shouted furiously across the aisle, gesticulating wildly and complaining about the presence of the gas cylinder in the chamber – which they said was a ‘security’ threat to the legislators.
Despite the shouts of ‘no gas cylinder in the chamber,’ the Tarkwa-Nsuaem MP continued with his submission until the deputy minority leader, James Klutse Avedzi, stood on a point of order.
When he was given the floor, he bitterly complained about the action of Mr Duker.
He said the NPP MP had defied security and safety concerns and brought a gas cylinder to the chamber, which is an ‘offensive weapon’ that can easily explode and kill all of them.
Mr Avedzi therefore called on the first deputy speaker, Joseph Osei-Owusu – who was then presiding – to order Mr Duker to take the gas cylinder from the chamber.
The majority leader, Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, also jumped to the defence of the NPP MP, asking the deputy minority leader to quote specific sections of the Standing Orders of the House which he (Duker) had breached.
He said if Mr Avedzi is able to prove by the Standing Orders that Mr Duker had breached any section of the Order, then he would be having a good case.
Mr Joseph Osei-Owusu came in and ruled that the presence of the gas cylinder in the chamber could be a threat to the safety of MPs.
He wondered how the security people in parliament could allow the MP to bring such a ‘dangerous’ thing to the chamber, and therefore ordered the ‘Marshall’ to immediately remove the cylinder from the chamber.
The ruling by the first deputy speaker was greeted with loud cheers by the NDC members.
By Thomas Fosu Jnr