The Minority Chief Whip says his side will be forced to come before Parliament with a motion to impeach the Speaker, Prof Mike Ocquaye if he doesn’t shed off his partisan colours.
Muntaka Mubarak says even though they do not want to get to that point, they are likely to “draw the battle line” with that motion.
With just 106 members in Parliament, the Minority will need the support of over 50 Majority MPs before the Speaker can be impeached.
With that task almost impossible, Muntaka Mubarak said a motion of impeachment, even if it may not succeed, will make it clear to the Speaker that they can no longer work with him as a Minority.
The latest outburst follows an attempt by the Minority to arrest a motion by the Majority to reduce, under a certificate of urgency, a special tax imposed on petroleum prices.
Muntaka Mubarak said at the time of filing the motion, the House had not formed a quorum. He said several attempts to draw the attention of the Speaker to that fact failed.
According to him, he stood up for several minutes but the Speaker deliberately turned a blind eye, forcing the Minority Leader himself to rise, with an assured hope that at least, his position as the Minority Leader, will be recognized by the Speaker.
He too, was ignored, he suggested. Joy News’ Parliamentary correspondent Elton John Brobbey who was present in Parliament said the Minority Leader stood up for between two-six minutes but did not catch the eye of the Speaker. But when the Majority Leader rose he was spotted by the Speaker and was given the opportunity to speak.
That did not go down well with Haruna Iddrisu and when he was granted the opportunity to speak, he did not fail to register his protest, laced with threats to disrespect the Speaker in return for disrespecting him.
“I am sad the way you have treated me as Minority Leader. I stood up before the Majority Leader. You owe me that courtesy and that respect. You cannot even after hearing him, you were still not decided whether to hear me or not.
“..May I draw your attention to Order 130 and why I was on my feet. I am within the rules and within the Standing Orders and you must respect the Standing Orders…”
“You owe me every duty and every standard of care to hear me on this. Mr Speaker you are chair of this House and you must hold us together. I don’t want to ever disrespect you but if you invite me, I will.”
He had wanted to draw the Speaker’s attention to the fact that the motion had to go through a second reading before being passed.
Muntaka Mubarak told Joy News’ Evans Mensah, the combined disrespect by the Speaker to him and the Minority Leader is enough testimony that he has become “dictatorial.”
The Minority may not be comfortable to work with him, he stated.
But the Majority Chief Whip Mathew Nyindam said the conduct of the Minority Leader is unacceptable.
“The Minority Leader should not allow youthful exuberance to dictate what words he uses on the floor,” he said.
Nyindam believes Mike Ocquaye has been the Speaker, mostly accommodating of Minority views.
He suspects the Minority is taking leniency of the Speaker to be his witness.
Commenting on what happened on the floor, he explained that this is not the first time a Speaker had given deference to the Majority Leader even when the Leader of the Minority is on his feet.
According to him, under Speaker Doe Adjaho, the Majority Leader had on many occasions been given the opportunity to speak ahead of the Minority Leader only because the Majority Leader is always considered in the House as the Leader.
He does not understand why the Minority will suddenly raise issues with a practice so usual with Parliament.
Source: myjoyonline.com
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I once said to myself when I saw these guys going to Parliament that the majority will not have it easy. These baby with sharp teeth(s). You see they have all gone to parliament and gang against the majority. What is the majority doing to sit down for this "smaaalll" boys to bullay them. Majority leader please sit up. Minority seem to be overriding you.
The so called minority leader is very disrespectful and arrogant , who dare you for you to talk to Prof.like that.you are such an ***barred word***.You people were calling my president, Nana Addo arrogant,just see how you are showing your true character,a small boy like you,once again you are an ***barred word***.Npp mps wake up and stop these small boys because of politics.
Hon. Haruna, please this your comment is very bad. It does show respect to the speaker. Why don't you have the elderly in your family. If they offend you can you stand in their face and give such commment. Do not be carried away by your position as minority leader. Go and apologise to our Papa. Its a shame
What at all na ye fa to yen ho so. As much as I don't condone the tone with which the minority leader expressed himself arrogantly, I am certain and will fault the Speaker for being overly partisan. And did I just read the majority chief whip on it being usual and even former Speaker Adjaho was doing same. Please we didn't send you folks there to do what is usual and wrong. If you folks were disgruntled at the other side during the times of Adjaho why continue it. Can we progress small? Why the going on in circles and reference to the past which isn't even progressive. PLEASE YOU PEOPLE SHOULD LEADS kakra wai. ed3n koraa ni. Sometimes my disappointment and frustration knows no bounds if I hear people who are suppose to show leadership and exemplary character speak this way. Both Speaker and Minority Leader goofed big time. PERIOD!!! You all on both side of the House must show some maturity because you're frustrating us too much aaaa!!! Everything Partisan. Why?
These crops of young turks should take lessons from the Bagdins, Yire Cheres, Avokas and other matured parliamentarians on the NDC side who always conducted themselves with decorum in the House. These days you have creatures like Haruna[the worst mistake the minority made was to make this ***barred word*** their leader;the guy is so arrogant so egotistical ;and his dry jokes stink to high heaven]Sam George,Okudjeto,Muntaka making so much noise in the house.They ought to know that the minority cannot be allowed to have its way in parliament,since we all know their only agenda is to make government unpopular .Meanwhile there are other young people in the house who are behaving well. Ezenator is a case in point.And if Haruna has presidential ambitions he is going about promoting himself the wrong way.
THE MINORITY IS GRADUALLY BEVCOMING IRRELEVANT IN THE CURRENT PARLIAMENT. ALREADY THEY HAVE PROVEN TO BE ENEMIES OF PROGRESS. WHAT AGAIN.
WHO ATALL IS HARUNA? IS HE TRULLY A LAWYER? HE IS MORE THAN AN ILLITRATE. IS THAT HOW TO ADDRESS THE SPEAKER OF PARLIAMENT?TO DIERESPECT THE SPEAKER? WHAT DIDNT JOE ADJAHO DID TO THE THEM MINORITY. HE HAS NOT SEEN ANYTHING YET JUST ONE YEAR AND HE IS NOT ABLE TO STAND IT HE SHOULD WAIT FOR THE SECOND AND THIRD YEAR.HE IS GOING TO LEAR MORE LESSONS WHICH WILL MAKE HIM HUMBLE HIMSELF. NPP MPS ARE GOING TO BE HARD ON HIM FROM NOW ON.THIS MAN SAYS HE WANT TO BE PRESIDENT OF GHANA MY FOOT.
It seems these minority in parliament is becoming use.less each and everyday. A week pass by without hearing from them either in a press conference or allegations of sought. There will be a time, not even their supporters will listen to them.
Geee! why are the NPP MP's in parliament so la-me , 1mpotent and du--mb. Why are they so silent to these two arro-gant ba$t-ards ( Haruna Idrisu and Muntaka)? Such a display of utter buff00nery to a man old enough to be their father. Let alone a man who thought he Haruna law at Legon. Inspite of all this,training he was still caught plagiarising his university work. The so called civil society, social commentators and the various soothsayers are all quiet at this deliberate and calculated attempt by the leadership of the NDC to discred1t not only parliament but the speaker. Hey prophets ! I need a prediction on these two a$$$ h0les instead of staking lottery on up and coming musicians.