Kennedy Agyapong
The much publicised call by the Speaker of Parliament for Parliament to take a final decision on the Privileges Committee’s report on alleged contemptuous remarks by the Member of Parliament (MP) for Assin Central against the Parliament of Ghana, could not take place yesterday.
Even though the report was publicised on the Order Paper yesterday, nothing was said about it after Parliament concluded the consideration of the Right to Information Bill, 2018, by adopting the proposed amendment by the MP for Suhum, Frederick Opare Ansah that the bill be made to take effect after 12 months of passing it.
The Speaker of Parliament, Prof Mike Oquaye, on Tuesday directed the chairman of the Privileges Committee who is also the First Deputy Speaker, Joseph Osei-Owusu, to present the committee’s report yesterday on the alleged contemptuous remarks made against the institution by Mr. Ken Agyapong for the House to adopt it.
During Tuesday’s sitting, it was advertised on the Order Paper that the report of the committee on the alleged breach of privileges and the said contemptuous remarks were to be adopted by the House.
The chairman of the Privileges Committee, Joseph Osei-Owusu, however, pleaded with the Speaker to allow the committee to defer the adoption and hear another case of contempt made against the same MP which has been referred to the committee for hearing so that the two reports will be lumped together and presented for adoption by the House.
The Speaker did not agree with the plea of the chairman of the Privileges Committee and asked that the report be presented to the House yesterday for action to be taken on it.
After completing yesterday’s public business without mentioning the report, MPs retired to Committee of the Whole where they discussed the formula and distribution of the 2019 District Assembly Common Fund.
It is not known when the House will eventually adopt the report of the Privileges Committee on Mr. Kennedy Agyapong.
The Assin Central MP was dragged to the Privileges Committee in June last year by the Minority Chief Whip, Mohammed Mubarak Muntaka, for allegedly referring to Parliament as a ‘useless institution’ when he was asked to tone down on his vituperations on Anas Aremeyaw Anas for coming out with an expose’ on corruption within the Ghana Football Association.
By Thomas Fosu Jnr