Prof. Aaron Mike Oquaye
The Speaker of Parliament, Prof. Aaron Mike Oquaye on Saturday berated members of the Minority NDC for failing to attend to the business of the House.
According to him, “it is a pity” that the Minority Members of Parliament (MPs), who have been pushing for the Minister of Finance to be in the House, “reneged” on their call to duty on the day Mr Ken Ofori-Atta was ready to address the House on matters concerning financial implications in the present state of affairs due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
He said the MPs, “oblivious of the obvious that this nation at this moment is in a state of a national emergency”, chose to absent themselves at the time they were needed most for the business of Parliament, indicating that the legislators ought to be “mindful of the fact that for very obvious reasons this nation is in the state of emergency.”
The Speaker stated that emergency measures, including sacrifices, are expected in such circumstances, pointing out that some people are laying down their lives in hospitals and homes, throughout the world, that others may live.
“If you cannot sacrifice at this time, I do not know whenever we can die for our nation. And this is very, very important,” asserted.
Prof. Oquaye said absenteeism and a number of other developments, including the raising of quorum, rather give not too positive a message about Parliament.
He praised members of the Majority for showing up for the Business of the House on two Saturdays and prayed that they continued to “show this kind of sense of patriotism in the light of our present circumstances which naturally is not very pleasing to all concerned Ghanaians.”
He added: “I will urge that the example you (referring to the Majority) have shown exemplarily this morning will continue in the service of our nation.”
“In fact this morning, whilst we were watching developments, the Hon Minister for Finance, who had been ready to address the House on matters concerning financial implications in the present state of affairs, had to put this for Monday,” the Speaker stressed.
By Ernest Kofi Adu, Parliament House