Deputy Majority Leader, Alexander Afenyo-Markin, says the Minority’s grievances over the passage of the Electronic Transaction levy (E-levy) are flawed particularly when they raise the issue of quorum.
Speaking on JoyNews’ Newsfile, Mr Afenyo-Markin noted that instead of the Minority staging a walkout on March 29, they could have stayed and raised the issue of quorum if they believed the Majority did not have the numbers to pass the Bill.
According to the Effutu MP, due to the election of the Assin North MP being annulled, the Minority did not raise the matter as the House was working with 274 MPs.
“When you listen to Honourable Haruna Iddrisu, they never raised the issue of quorum. They only said they were not participating so they left. But if you exit the chamber, it doesn’t mean that your exit will stop public business. It is never the case.
“They could have stayed in to raise the issue of quorum. They didn’t. I don’t understand why they think that by merely walking out, they would ambush us and we would lack quorum.”
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“The issue of counting arises only when it is raised. The Criminal Offenses Act we just amended, when we were doing that, we were just 20 or so. Just a few of us. Are they saying that there was no issue of quorum?” he added.
Interacting with host, Samson Lardy Anyenini, Mr Afenyo-Markin noted that in view of the Assin North court case, the Minority prevented Mr James Gyakye Quayson from entering the chamber, so as not to condone an illegality.
“On that day, because the decision on Quayson had sufficed, Quayson was in the office and they didn’t allow him come in. They themselves told him until the stay of execution process was duly filed – They themselves told him, don’t enter the chamber. So, he did not.
At that point, the number was 274 because Quayson’s election has been nullified. The number for taking decision couldn’t have been 275. At that material point in time, our number was 274 not 275,” he explained.
But the Bawku Central MP, Mahama Ayariga, thinks otherwise.
Speaking on the show on Saturday, Mr Ayariga stated that the Majority did not make up 138 as required by the Supreme Court to make a quorum due to the absence of Dome Kwabenya MP, Sarah Adwoa Safo and Ebenezer Kojo Kum, the MP for Ahanta West.
According to him, the Minority decided to stage a walkout and not go ahead to vote to ensure the issue of quorum stands against the Majority.
He noted that the Minority’s effort to fight against the implementation of the levy would have been wasteful if the NDC MPs stayed to vote.
“We felt that we had been denied of one of our votes and we were looking at the Mathematics. We would be 136 and they would be 137. Clearly they would win the vote. A lot of people said stand and vote and let them see you have voted and you’ve lost through a vote.
“But we are not fighting so people see that we are fighting. We are fighting to actually stop the legislation. So we thought the best tool to stop the legislation was to try and prevent the existence of a quorum so that there would be another stumbling block.
“We left because based on the Supreme Court ruling, they would need a quorum of 138 to take such a decision and at the time, they didn’t have 138. So far as records show, in the Chamber, they had 136,” he said.