National Democratic Congress (NDC) MPs have boycotted parliamentary sitting today, Tuesday, to attend to the trial of their colleague, James Gyakye Quayson.
This is the fourth time in a row that the Minority Caucus has boycotted parliamentary proceedings.
Almost an hour after the bell in Parliament was tolled to call the House to order, the attendance of the legislators on the floor, especially on the Majority side, was still considerably low.
At the time the sitting began, only 13 members of the New Patriotic Party were present on the floor.
Thus, the MP for Nsawam-Adoagyiri, Frank Annoh-Dompreh, appealed to the Speaker to ensure that questions in the name of NDC MPs must be considered asked and answered since they were not present.
“Except for question 1405, which is advertised in the name of the Honourable Vincent Ekow Assafuah, member for Old Tafo, all the other questions are advertised in various names of our colleagues in the Minority and they have elected not to be present.
“Mr Speaker, the parliament of this republic cannot wait for them. Hence, as it’s often the practice, I want to appeal to you that the answers to these questions be published, except for question 1405 …”
But the Speaker, although acknowledging Mr Annoh-Dompreh’s appeal, advised: “I wish that we go through them one by one. You call the question, the person who asked the question is absent, the table office will record that the person who asked the question is absent.”