Prof Mike Oquaye
The
Speaker of Parliament, Prof Mike Oquaye, yesterday directed the chairman of the
Privileges Committee, who is also the First Deputy Speaker, Joseph Osei-Owusu, to
present the committee’s report today in parliament on the alleged contemptuous
remarks made against the institution by the Member of Parliament (MP) for Assin
Central, Ken Agyapong, for the House to adopt it.
During
yesterday’s sitting it was advertised on the Order Paper that the report of the
committee on the alleged breach of privileges was to be adopted by the House.
The
chairman of the Privileges Committee, Joseph Osei-Owusu, however, pleaded with
the speaker to allow the committee to defer the adoption and hear another case
of contempt made against the same MP, which has been referred to the committee
for hearing so that the two reports would be put together and presented for
adoption by the House.
The
Speaker did not agree with the plea of the chairman of the Privileges Committee
and asked that the report be presented to the House today for action to be
taken on it.
The
Assin Central MP was dragged to the Privileges Committee in June last year by
the Minority Chief Whip, Mohammed Mubarak Muntaka, for allegedly referring to
parliament as a ‘useless institution’ when he was asked to tone down on his
vituperations on Anas Aremeyaw Anas for coming out with an investigative piece on
corruption in the Ghana Football Association.
However,
the decision to take punitive action against the Assin Central MP or not was not
taken at the committee level so the plenary would have to take the final
decision today.
The
Assin Central MP, Kennedy Agyapong has been dragged to the Privileges Committee
by the same Minority Chief Whip, Mohammed Mubarak Muntaka this time for his
utterances over the death of undercover investigative journalist, Ahmed
Hussein-Suale.
According
to the Minority Chief Whip, the comments of the MP compromised the journalist’s
security and led to his unfortunate murder by some unknown assailants.
The
Minority Leader asked Parliament to punish the Assin Central MP for his utterances,
which are not only against the laws of the land but affect the dignity and
reputation of parliament to serve as deterrent to other parliamentarians who
are supposed to set good examples for young people.
The
complaint is yet to be heard by the Privileges Committee of Parliament.
By Thomas Fosu Jnr
