Motion to drag Sammy Gyamfi to Privileges Committee deferred

The Second Deputy Speaker, Andrew Amoako Asiamah, has deferred action on a motion for the National Communications Officer of the National Democratic Congress, Sammy Gyamfi, to be hauled before the Privileges Committee.

The MP for Tolon, Habib Iddrisu, filed a motion on the floor requesting the Speaker to refer Sammy Gyamfi to the Committee for making comments he deems contemptuous to Parliament.

This is in relation to Mr. Gyamfi’s comments about the approval of some Ministers for the Akufo-Addo administration.

In comments on Facebook, Mr. Gyamfi described the handling of certain minister-nominees as a betrayal.

The NDC had opposed three of the approvals; Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, minister-designate for Information; Hawa Koomson, minister-designate for Fisheries and Aquaculture and Owusu Afriyie Akoto, minister-designate for Food and Agriculture.

His remarks singled out the Minority Leader, Haruna Iddrisu; the Minority Chief Whip, Muntaka Mubarak and even the NDC-backed Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin.

“They brazenly defied the leadership of the party and betrayed the collective good for their selfish interest,” Mr. Gyamfi said.

Habib Iddrisu, making the case for Sammy Gyamfi to be referred to the Committee, cited order 38 of Parliament’s standing orders and said: “the following act or conduct shall constitute a breach of privilege or contempt of Parliament.”

Before today, the Tafo Pankorono MP, Vincent Ekow Assafuah, had pushed for Parliament to cite Mr. Gyamfi for contempt.

He had said the comments by Mr. Gyamfi were an attack on the Speaker of Parliament and Parliament as an institution.