‘This is commonsensical, we have one majority leader’ – Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu slams Speaker

Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu

Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, the Majority Leader of Parliament and the Minister of Parliamentary Affairs, has taken a swipe at the Speaker of Parliament over comments that there is no majority in Parliament.

According to him, there is no majority in Parliament but the caucus has a majority and the leader of that caucus is the majority leader and that is whether or not Bagbin likes it.

Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu explained to journalists that, “we could have (a situation where) maybe the NDC have about 130 or 137 MPs in Parliament, the NPP could have maybe 120 MPs and could be the minority party, the NDC could be the majority party; maybe there are other parties if all the other parties decide to join ranks with the 120 to form the majority caucus, the leader of that group is the majority leader.

“This is commonsensical, this is commonsensical, so, whoever refuses to accept it, that is his own problem. There are no core leaders of the House, we have one majority leader and he is the leader of government business and doubles up as the majority leader.”

Background

Parliament, on Friday, November 26 rejected the government’s 2022 Budget Statement and Economic Policy read in the House by the Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta, last week.

A walkout by the Majority from Parliament did not prevent the House from continuing with the business of the day.

Members on the majority side staged a walkout after a disagreement over a voice vote which did not go in their favour.

“Clearly, the No’s have it. The motion is accordingly lost”, the Speaker ruled.

Parliament was to conclude the debate on the 2022 budget statement and approve the policy document on the said day.

A last-minute request by the Finance Minister to meet with the leadership of the House was turned down by MPs after the Speaker of Parliament announced that the ‘Nos’ had won the voice vote.

Deputy Majority Leader, Alexander Afenyo-Markin, thus challenged the Speaker’s interpretation of the voice vote and called for a ‘division’.

Bagbin subsequently directed that, per orders of the House, non-MPs had to vacate the Chamber during the division process.

“As the Speaker, I will do all I can, not to allow the government to obstruct or frustrate parliament in its lawful duty. That is a pledge to the people of Ghana, and there is a reason why the good people of Ghana elected this parliament. It is hung parliament of 137-137, the independent who decided to do business with one side of the majority, there is no majority party in this House. This is a new beginning, where for the first time, a Majority has walked out from its own business,” Rt. Hon. Alban Bagbin stated.

While vacating the Chamber, the Majority MPs demanded that the General Secretary of the opposition National Democratic Congress, Johnson Asiedu Nketia, who was sitting in the public gallery at the time, must also exit the House.

He ignored this request.

This infuriated the Majority MPs who walked out of the Chamber, leaving only members on the Minority side.

The Speaker of Parliament thus suspended the sitting for five minutes.

He subsequently came back to the House to continue with proceedings.