Member of Parliament (MP) for Bongo constituency, Edward Bawa, has defended the Minority’s rush to the Speaker’s podium during proceedings on Monday.
According to him, it was to stop illegality from being perpetuated in the House as First Deputy Speaker, Joseph Osei Owusu presided.
Mr Bawa noted the action though regrettable was a step in the right direction.
“We are no longer in the 7th parliament. Now we have 137 vs 137 + 1 independent candidate so we must let the rules and regulations work and every Ghanaian must resist any illegality anywhere,” he noted.
His comment comes on the back of a brawl that broke out on Monday night during a head count to consider the controversial E-levy Bill under a certificate of urgency.
The Minority MPs attempted to stop Mr Osei Owusu, who was presiding over the House, from vacating his seat to participate in the voting process.
Infuriated by this action, the Majority side clashed with the Minority at the Speaker’s table during which Yagaba-Kubori MP, Mustapha Ussif got injured.
“Parliament was charged emotionally because Joe Wise is in charge of discipline so what happens if he is not disciplined? So the motivation was to go and make him aware what he did was not right then we heard loud voices and that was when our colleagues rushed to the podium,” he said on Asempa FM’s Ekosii Sen.
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Meanwhile, Mr Bawa had earlier indicated the Minority will have issues with the Bekwai MP presiding over sittings in the absence of Speaker Bagbin.
This follows a controversial declaration by Mr Osei-Owusu that assuming the Speaker’s chair does not take away the fact that he’s an MP, and that he is not the Speaker.
That remark and the subsequent ruling against a motion by the Minority to have the approval of the 2022 budget rescinded, degenerated proceedings of the House into chaos and near fisticuffs on December 2.
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