Politics of Tuesday, 1 August 2017
Source: Myjoyonline.com
2017-08-01
K.T Hammond, MP for Adansi Asokwa
The MP whose controversial motion set Parliament on fire Tuesday has backed the decision by the Speaker to refer his motion on the AMERI agreement to the Committee on Mines and Energy.
KT Hammond insists the Speaker, Prof Mike Ocquaye has the power to direct affairs in Parliament and chastised the Minority Leader Haruna Iddrisu for leading a minority walkout.
The Minority stormed out of the floor with chants of bias and accusing the Speaker of disrespecting the Minority.
They did not understand why the Speaker had to refer to a committee the controversial motion seeking a rescission of the AMERI agreement signed by the previous government in 2015.
Leader of the Minority Haruna Iddrisu said a member cannot bring a motion on the floor with a request to rescind an agreement that has been agreed and passed by a previous Parliament.
Objecting to the motion filed by KT Hammond and seconded by Deputy Majority Leader Adwoa Safo, the Minority Leader said, if anything, KT Hammond should go to court to ask for the annulment of the agreement.
He could come before Parliament to attempt to rescind the agreement passed in 2015, he added.
The decision by the Speaker to refer the motion to the Mines and Energy Committee of Parliament angered the Minority who then stormed out of the House.
Deputy Minority Leader Muntaka Mubarak said the Speaker cannot be treating the minority as though they were kids.
He demanded respect from the Speaker, failure which he warned the House will be ungovernable.
But the originator of the motion KT Hammond has jumped to the defence of the Speaker.
He described as “incomprehensible” the conduct of the Minority and wondered why they decided to debate the issue out of the House instead of in the House.
He said he was ready to disclose the content of the motion on the floor but the Speaker decided that it was best for committee to sit and discuss the matter and issue a report.
He did not understand why the minority had issues with that.
He argued it is not beyond Parliament to rescind its own decisions and quoted the Speaker as saying that one Parliament does not and cannot bind another.
