Alexander Afenyo-Markin
The Minority in Parliament has accused Speaker Alban S. K. Bagbin of parliamentary bullying and high-handedness following his decision to order the Member of Parliament (MP) for Damongo, Samuel Abu Jinapor, out of the chamber despite the latter’s withdrawal of remarks that had provoked the Speaker’s intervention.
The Minority Leader, Alexander Afenyo-Markin, said the Speaker’s decision was disproportionate, particularly after Mr. Abu Jinapor had complied with the directive to withdraw his remarks.
Addressing a press conference in Parliament yesterday, Mr. Afenyo-Markin said the Damongo MP had expressly withdrawn his comments after the Speaker directed him to do so, but the order for him to leave the chamber was nevertheless maintained.
He said Mr. Abu Jinapor had initially sought clarification on which particular allegation he was required to withdraw before complying with the Speaker’s directive.
“Upon clarification, he expressly stated, ‘Mr. Speaker, I withdraw.’ He repeated that withdrawal. Yet the directive that he leaves the chamber was maintained,” he stated.
Mr. Afenyo-Markin said the withdrawal should have provided an opportunity for the Speaker to restore order without resorting to the removal of the MP.
“Whatever the preceding disagreement, his withdrawal afforded an opportunity to restore order with dignity. Instead, his compliance was rewarded by being walked out,” he said.
He described the development as an act of parliamentary bullying, insisting that the Minority considered the treatment of their colleague unjust, unnecessary and disproportionate.
The Minority Leader, however, acknowledged the Speaker’s responsibility to maintain order in the House and ensure that allegations made by MPs were substantiated.
He argued that the authority of the Speaker commanded greater respect when exercised with restraint, adding that a request for clarification by a member should not automatically be interpreted as defiance.
He said an MP who complied with a directive to withdraw remarks deserved acknowledgement rather than further punishment.
Mr. Afenyo-Markin explained that the Minority’s decision to walk out of the chamber was intended to demonstrate solidarity with Mr. Abu Jinapor and register its collective opposition to what it considered an unfair treatment of the MP.
The incident followed Mr. Abu Jinapor’s concerns about alleged irregularities involving the acquisition of diplomatic and service passports, including claims that such documents were being sold for between US$10,000 and US$50,000.
The Minority Leader said the underlying allegations remained unanswered and insisted that the issues raised by the Ranking Member on Foreign Affairs deserved serious attention.
He disclosed that the Minority, through its Foreign Affairs Caucus, would present supporting material concerning alleged false representations and impersonation in the procurement of diplomatic or service passports through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
He said the material would have to be examined and authenticated, while those implicated would also be given the opportunity to respond.
Mr. Afenyo-Markin questioned where such matters should be raised if Parliament became inhospitable to legitimate questions about public accountability.
He maintained that diplomatic passports carried the authority and reputation of Ghana and that credible allegations of their procurement through false representations demanded thorough scrutiny.
The Minority Leader consequently called on the Speaker to exercise his authority with fairness and patience, urging him to distinguish disagreement from disrespect.
He also appealed to the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC), which commands more than a two-thirds majority in Parliament, not to use its numerical strength to frustrate the Minority’s constitutional responsibility of holding the government accountable.
“An electoral mandate grants no licence to suffocate accountability. But when executive dominance is reinforced by parliamentary numbers, and scrutiny is repeatedly frustrated, elective dictatorship becomes a present danger,” he cautioned.
He said the Speaker had a responsibility to protect minority participation and ensure that Parliament remained a platform for effective scrutiny of government business.
Mr. Afenyo-Markin further warned that the Minority would not be intimidated into abandoning its oversight responsibilities, alleging that some of its members had faced arrest, detention and other forms of harassment.
He described the removal of MP Abu Jinapor from the chamber as part of a pattern of abuse of state power intended to exhaust the Minority’s resolve and silence its members.
“We shall not be moved. We shall not be cowed, and we surely shall not be silenced,” he declared.
He insisted that the Minority accepted lawful accountability for all citizens, including its members, but would resist any attempt to use state power as an instrument of political submission.
The Minority Leader urged the Speaker to allow the evidence on the passport allegations to be examined and the Foreign Affairs Minister, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, to respond.
He recalled that Mr. Ablakwa had been vocal in demanding accountability while in opposition, and argued that he should now be prepared to defend the same principles in government.
“Therefore, this is not the time to shield him. He must come out and defend the very principles he stood for in opposition,” he stated.
Walk Out
The Minority Caucus in Parliament on Tuesday staged a walkout in protest against the removal of the Member of Parliament for Damongo, Samuel Abu Jinapor, from the chamber, accusing the Speaker, Alban Bagbin, of treating him unfairly.
The walkout followed a heated exchange between Mr. Abu Jinapor and the Speaker after the former raised concerns about alleged payments for Ghanaian diplomatic passports, claiming that some individuals were selling the travel documents for between $10,000 and $50,000.
Mr. Afenyo-Markin said the Minority did not believe that an MP needed to establish every fact surrounding an issue before raising it in Parliament, especially when the matter was of public interest.
He said the appropriate course would have been to invite the Minister for Foreign Affairs to make a statement on the matter, after which Parliament could consider further action, including the setting up of a bipartisan committee to investigate the allegations.
By Ernest Kofi Adu, Parliament House