Mr. Kofi Bekai, a private legal practitioner, has blamed Speaker of Parliament Alban Bagbin for the current parliamentary stalemate.
He stated that the Speaker’s failure to obey the Supreme Court’s order is encouraging Members of Parliament supporting the National Democratic Congress (NDC) to engage in chaotic activities.
Mr. Bekai noted that he (Speaker) has a responsibility to ensure sanity in the House and prevent chaos by ensuring that the declaration of the four vacant seats is stayed until finality has been brought to the pending matter before the Supreme Court.
Speaking on Nyankonton Mu Nsem on Rainbow Radio 87.5FM, Mr. Kofi Bekai said, “The court has made specific orders, and you have been served, and it is your responsibility as a Speaker to obey those orders.” He may be dragged back to court and cited for contempt for wilfully refusing to obey the court’s orders. But I can’t say whether the court will grant those orders.
He explained that the Speaker should have reverted the entire situation staus quo ante, which means, “I declared four seats vacant, and now one side is claiming to be the majority, which is even a loose point, and so if that is what is causing the confusion now, we have to revert to the old ways until the final matter is addressed.” There would have been no harm if the Speaker had asked the NDC MPs to return to their seats on the Speaker’s left side. You have the authority to direct the MPs to do what is right.
You needed to bring the old thing back as ordered by the Supreme Court to bring sanity in the House of Parliament. The indifference of the Speaker is what is urging the NDC MPs to continue doing what they are doing. Even if you disagree with the Supreme Court, you don’t organise a press conference and accuse the Judiciary and the Executive of collaborating to undermine the powers of Parliament. That was an unfortunate comment he made.
Mr. Kofi Bekai stressed, ‘’The Speaker is behaving as if he is angry and not prepared to listen to what the Speaker has said.” What the Speaker did was below the belt. When you make these remarks, you paint a picture of you disrespecting the court. What you need to understand is that the court is paramount above everything else. If the president can be dragged before the court, then any other individual can equally be sued and dragged before the court’’.
By: Rainbowradioonline.com/Ghana
‘’There is the need for the Speaker to bring sanity to the House. He failed to speak to the NDC MPs to behave and allow the House to function. There is nothing to prove that the NDC is the majority, and their decision to sit where the majority MPs sit brings chaos. In politics, we apply the law and reasoning. We don’t use violence in politics,’’ he added.
By: Rainbowradioonline.com/Ghana
