Muntaka defends Bagbin’s ruling for MPs to debate absentee MPs report

The Minority Chief Whip, Muntaka Mubarak, has defended the Speaker of Parliament’s ruling that allows for the tabling of a report from the Privileges Committee on three absentee MPs for debate.

Speaking to Citi News, Mr. Mubarak said the issue was a matter of precedent.

“The process of the House and the standing order of the House; every referral to a committee will have to come back to the plenary.”

“In Mr. Speaker’s ruling, he copiously quoted the constitution, the standing orders, and all the provisions and practices, even citing other jurisdiction incidents,” Mr. Mubarak said.

The three MPs are Kennedy Agyapong, MP for Assin Central; Henry Quartey, MP for Ayawaso West, and Adwoa Safo; MP for Dome Kwabenya.

They had been referred to the Privileges Committee for absenting themselves from Parliament beyond the permissible period without any reason.

The Majority in Parliament has been pushing to have Adwoa Safo vacate her seat because she has been out of the country for most parts of the year.

Kennedy Agyapong and Henry Quartey appeared before the committee and attributed their absence to ill health, but Adwoa Safo failed to honour the summons and the option of a virtual appearance.

Mr. Mubarak argued that a move to remove a legislator should demand more rigour than a ruling from the Speaker of Parliament.

“The framers of the constitution did not anticipate a situation where Parliament on its own would want to remove one of its own.”

“It is not an easy thing to remove a Member of Parliament… let alone a Member of Parliament who thousands of people queued to elect.”

Moving forward, he said the speed of the process would depend on the Majority, which controls Parliament’s business.

“They should just bring the report tomorrow. The prerogative of bringing the report obviously reverts to them.”

The Majority was left upset with the Speaker of Parliament’s ruling and said it would challenge it with a substantive motion.

The Majority Leader, on the floor of Parliament, further accused the Speaker, Alban Bagbin, of pandering to the Minority in Parliament, which has been opposed to making the Dome Kwabenya seat vacant.