Alex Afenyo-Markin
Deputy Majority Leader, Alexander Afenyo Markin, has claimed that the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) has put fear in Speaker of Parliament Alban Bagbin, and that is preventing the Speaker from taking bold decisions at the legislature.
According to the NPP MP for Effutu, the NDC are using one Kevin Taylor, who is domiciled in the United States and has been using unprintable language on people of leadership positions in Ghana through his videos, to cow the Speaker into submission.
He said the Speaker stated categorically that he would not be able to conclude a meeting that would have resolved the impasse between the NPP Majority Caucus and their NDC Minority counterparts over the 2022 budget because he said Kevin Taylor would attack his personality.
Major Clarification
“Let me clarify. We were in Mr. Speaker’s office as leadership, trying to finetune the best way to manage the floor for that afternoon. In the process, Mr. Speaker said there is a video that Kevin Taylor is insulting him (sic), that he was supporting government to pass its budget and his own people (NDC) were insulting him. These were his words,” Mr. Afenyo Markin said on Joy FM’s Newsfile hosted by Sampson Lardi Ayenini last Saturday.
The Deputy Majority Leader said, “So he suddenly gave up on that engagement that he was going to robe and get into the chamber.”
Sampson then cut in to ask that “you are saying that because Mr. Bagbin is not here to speak for himself or I am sure Sam George (who was on the show) would not have been part of that meeting, you are saying that Bagbin, who has done over two decades as a politician and being at the very important place of Parliament, and now has become the whole Speaker of this proud Ghana’s Parliament, makes the fear of insult by an irrelevant, an insulting ignoramus so to speak, whose tabloid of jokes, he does in the name of journalism, Bagbin makes that a major issue and because of that he is unable to proceed with an important business of the House, I doubt. That Bagbin with all the decades of politics of experience would be concerned about such a character who is involved in jokes in the name of journalism.”
Fears Insults
Mr. Afenyo Markin replied, “Sampson you have known me, I may make mistakes as a politician, I may misquote and all that but on this occasion please take my words. Mr. Speaker and I are very close when we were back benchers. We go to him for advice and all that but I am telling you that these were his words. Mr. Speaker said Kevin Taylor was insulting him in a video and he gave up because we were still having a meeting in his office. I am saying so. Mr. Speaker knows I am telling the truth. He said his people were insulting him, they have reported him to Kevin Taylor and there is a video he is insulting him. These were his own words. What would I gain in saying these things?”
Assaulting Joe Wise
Mr. Afenyo Markin also revealed that some NDC MPs plotted to assault First Deputy Speaker Joe Osei-Wusu aka Joe Wise when he supervised, in the absence of Mr. Bagbin last week.
“When he was about ruling, they rehearsed. I saw them, I have been in the chamber. People changed positions, some people walked out. And you see, some people have made themselves gentle souls but they are the most poisonous.
“That day, my colleague from Ashaiman, they thought Joe Osei-Owusu was adjourning so they took positions, they were supposed to beat him. He was going to take the other direction but God being so good, he suspended sitting so they couldn’t get access to him, he left.
“The next strategy was to get the mace out, so Marshall got wind of it and went to protect the mace. They were supposed to take the chair, eventually the Ashaiman MP, remember he did the same thing to Ursula Owusu. He has been stationed to do that, he is the hatchet man.
“When there is nonsense, he will be nominated to execute the nonsense. Sometimes, I sit in the chamber afraid of my own life, I fear for my life because smallest thing, we are debating then you threaten somebody, I will beat you. I will beat you,” he added.
Epic Fight
There were fireworks in Parliament last Tuesday over the passage of Budget Statement and Economic Policy of the Government for the year ending 31st December 2022.
The approval by the Majority Caucus, subsequently nullified the purported rejection of the same budget by opposition NDC MPs on Friday November 26, as supervised by the Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, who is a card-bearing member of the NDC and was their longest-serving MP before he became Speaker.
After the Speaker’s actions which have left in their trail a heated political debate, he jetted to Dubai in the United Arab Emirates amidst reports that he was going to seek medical treatment.
Drama unfolded when the Minority NDC decided to stay out of the chamber on Tuesday as the Majority NPP approved the budget.
In what looked like a cat and a mouse game, 138 MPs, 137 of them from the NPP, and one independent MP, approved the budget which was supervised by Joe Wise.
Pyrrhic Victory
The NDC had hit the rooftop, claiming they succeeded in rejecting the 2022 budget, but the Majority Caucus (NPP) fired back saying the whole exercise supervised by Mr. Bagbin, was unconstitutional because the Minority Caucus did not have the quorum to take such a major decision.
Quorum Matters
Per the 1992 Constitution, current Parliament’s quorum is just 1/3 of the 275 members and to take such a decision, Parliament needs more than 1/2 of members, which is currently set at 138 after the 2020 general election.
The NDC has 137 members and the NPP also has the same number (137) and there is one independent MP.
However, the NPP has the majority in Parliament because the independent MP called Andrew Amoako Asiamah from Fomena Constituency in the Ashanti Region, who is now the Second Deputy Speaker, and first entered Parliament as NPP MP, identifies with the NPP and therefore, on January 7 when there was a hung in Parliament, he decided to join his own people (NPP) to form the majority for the 8th Parliament of the 4th Republic (2021-2025).
Minority Infighting
Unable to succeed in asking the House to rescind the decision to pass the budget by the Majority Caucus, the NDC has turned the heat on their own leadership in Parliament, with accusations and counter accusations.
A suggestion made by Minority Leader Haruna Iddrisu that the Minority Caucus would accept the e-levy cut down rate sparked serious fight among the opposition party.
The Tamale South MP at the 10th anniversary launch of the Ghana Chamber of Telecommunications in Accra on Thursday, December 2, 2021, had said that “A week ago, we said no, we won’t accept e-levy but having listened to officials in government, including the Minister of Finance, I am convinced to accept a departure from my original no to accepting a one per cent e-levy.”
He, however, requested for e-levy to be reduced from the proposed 1.75 to 1%.
The Minority Leader was optimistic that the e-levy at one per cent was a great contribution to fiscal consolidation and would ensure the economy did not collapse going forward.
The digital economy was doing well and had facilitated a revolution in financial inclusion; hence it was unwise to overburden the telecommunications sector, Haruna Iddrisu said, adding “we are not against it, but we want it fixed at one per cent. We fear for double taxation because we already have the communication services tax.”
The Tamale South MP initially disagreed with the deduction fee for business transactions not exceeding the GH¢100.00 threshold a day and called for it to be pegged at GH¢500, but in a similar vein, suggested that the money be pegged at GH¢300 after revising his notes.
He also said Ghanaians needed to pay taxes to help develop the country, but not one that would further put strains on their tight purse.
Counter Issue
The Minority in Parliament issued a statement denouncing Haruna Iddrisu, saying their position on the controversial e-levy in the 2022 budget had not changed.
A statement signed by the Minority Chief Whip Mohammed Muntaka Mubarak (NDC Asawase) said “For the avoidance of doubt, the position of the NDC Caucus in Parliament right from the outset of the 2022 Budget debate has been that the 1.75% e-levy government is seeking to impose is regressive, punitive and draconian, and that same must be suspended.
“The Minority Caucus has vigorously championed this position in Parliament and in the media space to draw Government’s attention to our demands.
“Subsequent to our rejection of the Budget on 26th November, 2021, government has sought to engage the NDC Caucus in a series of discussions towards finding an amicable solution to the impasse.”
The statement noted the government has refused to back down on its stands on the matter even as the Minority tries to reason with them.
By Ernest Kofi Adu