Prof Mike Oquaye
The Speaker of Parliament, Prof Mike Oquaye, yesterday directed the chairman of the Privileges Committee, who is also the First Deputy Speaker, Joseph Osei-Owusu, to present the committee’s report today in parliament on the alleged contemptuous remarks made against the institution by the Member of Parliament (MP) for Assin Central, Ken Agyapong, for the House to adopt it.
During yesterday’s sitting it was advertised on the Order Paper that the report of the committee on the alleged breach of privileges was 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 would be put 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 today for action to be taken on it.
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 investigative piece on corruption in the Ghana Football Association.
However, the decision to take punitive action against the Assin Central MP or not was not taken at the committee level so the plenary would have to take the final decision today.
The Assin Central MP, Kennedy Agyapong has been dragged to the Privileges Committee by the same Minority Chief Whip, Mohammed Mubarak Muntaka this time for his utterances over the death of undercover investigative journalist, Ahmed Hussein-Suale.
According to the Minority Chief Whip, the comments of the MP compromised the journalist’s security and led to his unfortunate murder by some unknown assailants.
The Minority Leader asked Parliament to punish the Assin Central MP for his utterances, which are not only against the laws of the land but affect the dignity and reputation of parliament to serve as deterrent to other parliamentarians who are supposed to set good examples for young people.
The complaint is yet to be heard by the Privileges Committee of Parliament.
By Thomas Fosu Jnr