Ayew Afriyie suggests constitutional amendment for only MPs to be Speakers of Parliament

The Effiduase-Asokore MP, Dr. Nana Ayew Afriye, has suggested for the amendment of the constitution to allow for only MPs to be Speakers of Parliament.

In the wake of the Supreme Court Judgement affirming the right of Deputy Speakers of Parliament to vote even when they are presiding over the legislature, Dr. Afriyie suggested that “we amend the constitution to vote for MP speakers who will have casting vote too.”

He explained that “this will save the taxpayers some more money as the hefty provision of emoluments for non-MP speaker’s as backed by article 95(5), treat non-MP speaker’s in a special category of article 71 office holders.”

“The Speaker’s benefits are way above that of an MP. This is not the same for deputy speakers. Deputy speakers are only limited to their salaries as MPs as provided for in article 98(1) of the constitution for members of parliament,” the MP noted.

In a statement, he also said it was shameful for the Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, “to attack the president & judiciary based on emotions and without recourse to extensive research on parliamentary practices elsewhere.”

This was after the Speaker of Parliament described the Supreme Court judgement on the voting rights of deputy speakers as absurd and reckless.

Dr. Afriyie noted as an example that, in fellow Commonwealth Parliamentary Association countries like Australia, the speaker is an MP and has a casting vote.

He also said it was apt that the Supreme Court was allowed to settle the dispute.

“As a matter of fact, the Supreme Court in the wisdom of the very learned judges decided to rectify the ambiguity in the constitution by ruling for deputy speakers who are MPs(unlike the speaker) to vote.”

Dr. Afriyie saw the Supreme Court ruling as “Ghana applying itself to the logic of global or commonwealth parliamentary practice.”

The judgement was given in a case brought by a law professor, Justice Abdulai, who was contesting the First Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Joseph Osei-Owusu’s, decision to count himself for a vote on the budget.

The judgement backed the position of Mr. Osei-Owusu, who defended his decisive vote in the approval of the 2022 budget, although he was presiding as Speaker.

The Court also struck down order 109 (3) of the Standing Orders of Parliament, describing it as unconstitutional.

On November 30, last year, Mr. Osei-Owusu, who is also the Bekwai MP, presided over the overturning of an earlier vote of the House rejecting the government’s 2022 Budget.