Parliament resumed sitting today, January 25, 2022, after almost a month’s break for the Christmas and New Year holidays.
The resumption, however, came with a special outfit from the Speaker, Alban Bagbin.
He was seen in his seat today, clad in kente cloth over a white lace shirt and a crown as he regulated the sitting of the House. Social media has since been talking.
The combination looks typical of the costume Ewe chiefs wear at key traditional functions.
The House is expected to, among other things, consider many bills that have been laid before it, including the controversial Electronic Transaction levy (E-levy).
Since its introduction in the 2022 budget statement and fiscal policy, the E-levy has generated a public debate, especially between the Majority and the Minority groups in Parliament.
Parliament adjourned proceedings to January 25, thereby cutting short any attempt to approve or reject the e-levy Bill.
It happened after proceedings in the House were brought to a halt, following the fisticuff among members of the two sides of the House on Monday, December 20, 2021.
The chaos erupted when the First Deputy Speaker allegedly tried to vacate his seat for the Second Deputy Speaker in order to partake in an ongoing voting exercise.
The hung nature of Ghana’s 8th Parliament has been an underlying factor in all these situations.
Ahead of the crucial meeting, the Speaker, Alban Bagbin, has urged the leadership of the Majority caucus to prioritise consultations in their decision-making processes with regard to the business of the House.
Mr Bagbin noted that this is the only way the activities in the legislature will run smoothly.
“The only way is to get the two sides to consult and to dialogue with each other, to cooperate, to compromise, to collaborate to achieve consensus, this is an imperative imposed on us political leaders by the people of Ghana, we have no choice,” he said on Monday.