Michael Okyere Kofi Baafi, Member of Parliament for New Juaben South
The New Patriotic Party (NPP) Member of Parliament (MP) for New Juaben South in the Eastern Region, Michael Okyere Kofi Baafi, says his side will not tolerate any disrespect from Speaker of Parliament Alban Bagbin.
The Majority walked out after the Speaker directed Ministers of State who are non-MPs to vacate the chamber to allow MPs to take a division vote on whether to postpone the vote on whether the Finance Minister should be allowed to further engage the House.
But speaking to Kwaku Dawuro on Anopa Nkomo on Accra-based Kingdom FM 107.7, the lawmaker said Mr Bagbin was behaving like he was the Speaker for only one side.
He described the conduct of the speaker as appalling.
“He must carry the House along, you’re not the Speaker of only one side of this house and yet increasingly he’s beginning to demonstrate that tendency. His attitude is not the best, it doesn’t speak well of a speaker who’s neutral. I think this is very appalling. And from now on we are not going to tolerate that,” he fumed.
He insisted that the Speaker of Parliament has no authority to issue any personal order to any Minister.
Parliament with Majority members on Tuesday, November 30, 2021, approved the 2022 Budget Statement and Economic Policy of government presented by Minister for Finance, Ken Ofori-Atta on November 17, 202.
The approval was done by the majority decision.
A total of 138 members voted for the approval of the budget which was last Friday rejected by their counterparts on the Minority side.
Even though it was approved, members on the Minority side boycotted Tuesday’s proceedings of the house ahead of the approval of the budget.