The Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin has ruled that three Members of Parliament on the side of the governing New Patriotic Party are in breach of the 15-day rule.
The three MPs whose conduct has been referred to the Privileges Committee include Dome-Kwabenya MP, Sarah Adwoa Safo; Ayawaso Central MP, Henry Quartey, and Assin Central MP, Kennedy Ohene Agyapong.
The absence of the MPs from the Chamber is said to be in breach of the standing orders of the House which stipulate that an MP shall not absent him/herself from parliamentary sittings for 15 consecutive days without recourse to the Speaker.
In a formal communication to the House on Tuesday, April 5, 2022, Mr. Bagbin said that based on independent checks by the Table Office of Parliament, the three MPs have breached the 15-day rule.
Petition
Already the former Member of Parliament for Kumbungu, Ras Mubarak has petitioned Parliament to crack the whip on some absentee MPs who have breached the 15-day rule in the House.
According to him, four Members of Parliament have all absented themselves from the Chamber for more than 15 sitting days without the express permission of the Speaker.
In the petition, Mr. Mubarak called on the Speaker “to direct for their conduct to be referred to the Privileges Committee for consideration and necessary action.”
Article 97 (1) (c) of the 1992 Constitution and Order 17 of the Standing Orders of Parliament state emphatically: “A Member shall not absent himself during a meeting for more than fifteen sittings without the permission in writing of the Speaker. Any member infringing this Order shall have his conduct referred to the Privileges Committee.”
Okudzeto Defense
In related to this development, the Member of Parliament for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa in a post on Facebook said; I commend Speaker Bagbin for commencing an action against all three absentee MPs.
According to him; As I indicated earlier following my research, the provisions of the 1992 Constitution under Article 97 must apply without discrimination.
‘’Adwoa Safo, Kennedy Agyapong, and Henry Quartey must face the same music.
It is my hope, as I remarked on the floor of Parliament today that the House shall be guided by the 11th December 2008 Prof. Kwaku Asare radical decision by the Court of Appeal’,’ he posted.
-BY Daniel Bampoe