Alban Bagbin
Parliament could not do any meaningful work last Friday because almost all the MPs were absent and the number that was there could not form quorum as the law mandates.
The lack of quorum therefore, forced an abrupt adjournment of the sitting of Parliament after a protest by members of the Minority Caucus.
As at the time of the adjournment, only 20 NPP MPs were in the chamber whilst their counterparts in the NDC were 23.
The Speaker Alban Bagbin and the First Deputy Speaker Joseph Osei-Wusu (NPP Bekwai) were not in the chamber and were said to have travelled outside the country on official assignments.
Both Majority Leader Osei Kyei Mensah Bonsu (NPP Suame) and Minority Leader Haruna Iddrisu (NDC Tamale South) were said not to be in the jurisdiction.
It was the Second Deputy Speaker, Andrew Amoako Asiamah (Ind. Fomena) who presided over the proceedings.
The House was considering the annual report on the collection and utilisation of the African Union Import Levy for the 2020 fiscal year when the First Deputy Whip of the Minority, Ahmed Ibrahim (NDC Banda) raised the issue of lack of quorum.
Order 48 (1) says “the presence of at least one-third of all the Members of Parliament besides the person presiding shall be necessary to constitute a quorum of the House.”
There were 43 members in the House at that time, compared to a minimum of 92 needed for quorum, of the total strength of 275 members of the House.
Soon after, the Deputy Majority Leader, Alexander Afenyo-Markin (NPP Effutu) drew the House’s attention to Order 48 (2) which demands that “If at the time of sitting a Member takes notice or objection that there are present in the House, besides the person presiding, less than one-third of the number of all the Members of Parliament, and after an interval of ten minutes a quorum is not present, the person presiding shall adjourn the House without Question put until the next sitting day.”
The parliamentary bell was then rung to alert members to come into the chamber but after expiration of the duration (10 minutes), no MP came in to join their colleagues who were already seated to form the required quorum.
The bell has been connected to all buildings in Parliament, including offices and lavatories, and once pressed, any member within the precinct is alerted.
The Second Deputy Speaker, who was then in the chair, asked the House to begin the public business, while they waited for the interval of ten minutes to see if a quorum would be present to continue sitting.
Suddenly, Minority members began to move out of the House as the motion on the report on the Collection and Utilisation of the African Union Import Levy, moved by Chairman of the Finance Committee, Kwaku Kwarteng (NPP Obuasi West), came up for voting.
At this point, the Second Deputy Speaker adjourned the House for the day after the Deputy Minority Leader, James Klutse Avedzi (NDC Ketu North) pointed to Article 104 of the 1992 Constitution which says “matters in Parliament shall be determined by the votes of the Majority of Members present and voting, with at least half of all the Members of Parliament present.”
The House on Thursday also deferred debate on the annual public debt report for the 2020 financial year.
By Ernest Kofi Adu, Parliament House