Sanja Nanja, the incumbent Member of Parliament (MP) for the Atebubu/Amantin constituency in the Bono East Region, has opined that the decision to suspend four members of parliament over their involvement in the chaotic vetting situation is appropriate.
He averred that standing orders of parliament are not explicit on the specific type of punishment to be meted out to indiscipline MPs, but it is the responsibility of the Speaker to maintain law and order in the parliament.
The MP lamented that the incident had tarnished the reputation of parliament, and that the Speaker had the authority to maintain parliament’s sanity.
He said that for the suspended MPs to also acknowledge their wrongs and be forgiven, it was appropriate for the Speaker to also forgive them and lift the suspension.
‘’It is commendable that the suspended MPs acknowledge their mistakes and ask that the Speaker temper justice with mercy. It was also the best decision for the Speaker to lift the suspension because if someone acknowledges wrongdoing, there would be no need to drag the issue out than to forgive and forge ahead,’’ he said on Frontline on Rainbow Radio 87.5FM.
He told host Kwabena Agyapong that Parliament has different ways of resolving conflicts, and that this incident has served as a lesson for members, who will do better in the future to represent Ghanaians.
‘’We have different ways of addressing conflicts in parliament, and what we can say now after they have apologised is to indicate that we appreciate the Speaker for tempering justice with mercy. Going forward, we should use dialogue in addressing our differences and avoid confrontations that could escalate into violent situations or physical confrontations.’’
By: Rainbowradioonline.com/Ghana