Deputy Majority Leader of Parliament, Alfred Agbesi has tagged Manhyia South Lawmaker Mathew Opoku Prempeh as an indisciplined Member of Parliament.
In a heated and noisy exchange on the floor of Parliament on Friday, July 5, 2013, the Ashaiman MP blurted out, in reference to his fellow Member on the other side that: “Mr. Speaker he [Opoku Prempeh] must be disciplined. The House is a disciplined place…What he is doing is out of order and he must be brought to order”.
The shouting bout and charged milieu of verbal exchanges in the Chamber were sparked by Dr. Opoku Prempeh’s attempt to bring to the attention of the Leadership of the House, the adverse activities of some microfinance institutions.
He expressed frustrations and reservations about the Central Bank’s snub of the House anytime its Governor is invited over the matter and wondered why Parliament’s Business Committee had failed to make the issue a priority.
Majority Leader and Minister of Government Business in Parliament, Dr. Benjamin Kumbuor intervened to point out that the impression created by Dr. Opoku Prempeh was not fair to the Committee.
“…When you are given the impression that there is a business that has been referred to the business committee and they have failed to consider it that is unfair”, Dr. Kumbuor observed.
His Deputy, Alfred Agbesi, however incurred the wrath of Dr. Opoku Prempeh when he, in supporting his boss’ position on the floor, accused the Manhyia South MP of speaking about things that just popped up in his mind rather than focusing on the business statement.
An infuriated Dr. Opoku Prempeh then threatened that: “…If an honourable Deputy Majority Leader wants us to descend into the gutters that he live, we can all go there but it doesn’t auger well for the house”.
He said he took “serious exception” to the comments made by Alfred Agbesi and demanded an apology from the Deputy Majority Leader.
“…I want him to apologise and withdraw”, threatening: “If he doesn’t, he will be inviting some of us to use words he might not understand”.