The Member of Parliament for the Adansi Asokwa constituency, KT Hammond, has responded to a viral video that showed him fending off the Majority Chief Whip, Frank Annoh-Dompreh, during a parliamentary proceeding on December 22, 2023.
The video has received mixed reactions from the general public, with some accusing Mr. Hammond, who is also the Minister of Trade, of reacting violently towards his colleague lawmaker.
Reacting to the video in a press conference at his residence in Adansi Asokwa, the MP bemoaned the rate at which his comments are always taken out of context by people, especially the media.
He chided the media for consistently misrepresenting his thoughts and comments without looking out for the substance. He said this has led to a lot of criticisms from a cross-section of the general public towards him.
Narrating what transpired on the floor of Parliament, KT Hammond said he was called into the chamber by Mr. Annoh-Dompreh to take part in the discussions and subsequent voting on the appointment of judges who were being vetted on that day.
He said due to his relationship with one of the judges, who was his schoolmate at the University of Ghana, he wanted to participate in the discussions on the floor.
While making his submissions on the floor, he said, the Majority chief whip attempted to draw his attention, ostensibly due to time constraints. He stated that he wanted to make his point quickly enough, amid the interjections from the Nsawam-Adoagyir MP.
“I only made some gesticulations towards him to allow me to make my point regardless of the time constraints. Parliament had spent the whole day discussing other issues, so why was I distracted from making my point to wind up the business of the day?” he questioned.
He refuted claims that he is a violent person, stressing that he has no history of violence and has not been involved in any violent situation.
KT Hammond insisted that Annoh-Dompreh is one of his close confidants in politics and in Parliament, so he will never react violently towards him.
“I never slapped him. Why would I slap a colleague Member of Parliament? Have you seen me fighting anybody in Parliament as others did during voting for the Speaker of Parliament and other violent scenes in the house?” the Adansi Asokwa lawmaker quizzed.
Meanwhile, Mr. Hammond has picked nomination forms to contest the upcoming Parliamentary primaries in his constituency on the ticket of the New Patriotic Party. When successful, the MP, who first entered Parliament in 2001, will be serving his 7th term in the house.
He is expected to face stiff competition from the other three aspirants, who have already filed their nominations.
Sounding optimistic, the legislator said he is responding to calls from his constituents to seek another term judging by his good works. He said he was confident of getting the nod from the party delegates.
Some experienced Members of Parliament, including Joseph Osei-Owusu, MP for Bekwai, Dan Botwe, MP for Okyere, Samuel Atta Akyea, MP for Akyem Abuakwa South, and Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, have announced their decisions not to contest the upcoming Parliamentary primaries in January.
According to Mr. Hammond, this will create a void in Parliament and affect the quality of work in Parliament.
He said the legislators have made invaluable contributions to the house; hence, losing them will create a vacuum in the house.
“Replacing these experienced MPs will be a daunting task for the party.”