Professor Ransford Gyampo
Sit-in Speaker Joseph Osei Owusu overrules minority’s motion to reverse approval of 2022 budget statement
Professor Gyampo calls for consensus building
Parliament reconvenes today for another showdown
Political science lecturer at the University of Ghana, Professor Ransford Gyampo, has hit hard at the first deputy speaker, Joseph Osei Owusu (Joe Wise) and members of parliament of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) over their lack of commitment to engage MPs on the minority side in a parliament where both have almost equal numbers.
According to him, the attitude of the majority NPP MPs may force a stalemate in the legislative arm of government if they continue to hold this posturing to ‘forcefully’ approving the 2022 budget statement.
“I repeat, the Malawian Parliament at one point in time, could not sit and work for 4 years because of lack of a sincere dialogue between the opposition that had the numerical strength, and the ruling party.
“When we call for consensus building through proper dialogue, some political infants who do not know the ideals of politics beyond what pertains to Ghana’s very nascent democracy feel they can bulldoze their way in parliament with some fictional powers. If they are wise, they must work hard at dialogue, to build consensus, else there may be no parliament for positions to be occupied,” he cautioned.
Parliamentary sitting on Wednesday, December 1, 2021, turned chaotic as the sit-in speaker, Joseph Osei Owusu, overruled a motion by the minority for the rescission of the approval of the 2022 budget statement by the all majority side MPs on November 30, 2021.
The minority caucus in parliament had earlier argued that the deputy speaker erred in counting himself as part of the MPs present for which a supposed quorum was formed and the budget statement passed.
They maintained that his role as acting speaker meant he had no casting vote and thus the NPP had not satisfied the number of MPs present to accept the budget.
Meanwhile parliament is expected to reconvene today Thursday December 2, 2021 for another showdown as minority MPs vow to challenge the ruling of the first deputy speaker, Joseph Osei Owusu.