The First Deputy Speaker, Joseph Osei-Owusu, has said he will not allowed himself to be coerced by any Member of Parliament (MP) to take decisions to suit their personal agenda.
Mr Osei-Owusu’s caution came after a stand-off between him and Tamale North MP, Alhassan Suhuyini, over quorum in the House on Friday.
The National Democratic Congress MP wanted the House to stop sitting and adjourn for lack of the required numbers to conduct business in line with the Constitution and Standing Orders of the House.
With less than one-third of the 275 members in the House and about 30 minutes into the sitting, Mr Suhuyini, relying on Article 102 of the Constitution, called the Deputy Speaker’s attention to what he thought was a violation of the Constitution.
The First Deputy Speaker and MP for Bekwaihad earlier directed at 1:11 p.m. that the bell be rung for a quorum to be formed within 10 minutes or would have to adjourn the House if the required numbers were not in the chamber within that time stipulated.
However, at about 1:50 p.m. with quorum still not formed, Mr Suhuyini, after his two reminders yielded no result, interrupted proceedings and asked that the Deputy Speaker to respect the rules of the House.
“Mr Speaker, you do not have unfettered discretion to ignore my objection,” a frustrated Suhuyini said whilst the Road Minister was responding to a question, prompting the Deputy Speaker to mute his microphone.
Describing the broadcaster-turned politician’s conduct as disrespect to the chair, Mr Osei-Owusu said the Standing Orders gave him clear powers to even suspend the Orders to allow proceedings to continue.
“If you disrespect the rules, I would refuse to recognise you; that is the privilege I have. Honourable members, these Standing Orders give power to the Speaker to suspend the Standing Orders where he considers it necessary.
“I would not be bamboozled by a member standing and hijacking the order and talking into the microphone,” the First Deputy Speaker said, reminding Mr Suhuyini that once he had raised an objection, “the thing is in my bosom and do not worry; I would attend to it.”
According to Mr Osei-Owusu, the questions being dealt with were private members’ business and did not require quorum, arguing that it afforded members to bring to the House peculiar needs of the constituencies.
“So, if you raise [matters relating to] quorum at that time, yes, we can bring all proceedings to a close but it is actually the members who are affected. When it is government business, it is another matter but when it is private business such as members’ statements, question time, these are often not times that we raise issues.
“It is members who have brought the minister here so that concerns regarding their constituencies could be heard but if you insist, I would bring proceedings to a close,” Mr Osei-Wusu said.
The First Deputy Minority Whip, Ahmed Ibrahim, intervening, backed the Speaker’s observation that private businesses did not require quorum, revealing that he had to go around and ensure that members who were programmed to ask questions came in to do so.
BY JULIUS YAO PETETSI
