Majority Leader, Osei Kyei Mensah-Bonsu has discredited Minority’s claim suggesting the Speaker of Parliament, Professor Mike Oquaye is biased against them.
The Minority in Parliament have disclosed their intention to impeach the Speaker of the House, Prof Mike Oquaye over what they described as unfair treatment being meted out on them.
Minority’s allegations and subsequent threat, follow the Speaker’s refusal to allow the Minority Leader, Haruna Iddrisu to ask more than one question when the Agriculture Minister, Dr. Afriyie Akoto was on the floor to answer questions pertaining to the Planting for Food and Jobs programme.
According to them, the Speaker has always been biased in conducting the business of the house.
In response to the Speaker’s conduct which infuriated the Minority, a ranking member of the Communications Committee of Parliament, ABA Fuseini who spoke to Class FM said, “The Speaker has exhibited gross levels of bias that is unbelievable. In the annals of the history of parliament, I have never seen this kind of behaviour.”
He added, “We are going to be forced to take maybe an unprecedented action that has never happened in the annals of our fourth republic. …We are very close and there are a number of options available to us as Minority to exploit including the impeachment of the Speaker. … [Impeachment] is an option available to us to exercise and when we deem it fit, we are going to exercise it if things don’t change.”
However, in reaction, Mr. Osei Kyei Mensah-Bonsu said Minority’s claim is a misunderstanding of the Speaker’s conduct because the two sides have always received equal treatment.
In defending Prof Oquaye, he said, “The man wants to broaden the horizon of democratic governance especially to allow parliament to exercise its oversight responsibilities in the case of the ministers so he gives space to them sometimes we complain.”
“You know when statements can’t be made on the floor and what space is granted to members. Sometimes contributors are given much more space than the original makers of the statement. Don’t we witness it, so who is saying the Speaker is biased?” he queried.
Source: GhanaWeb
