Parliament was thrown into a state of high drama as the Speaker, Alban Bagbin, firmly declared that no group of lawmakers could sway or intimidate him from carrying out his duties in the supreme interest of the nation.
Addressing the House following a dramatic walkout by the Minority caucus on Wednesday, November 4, the Speaker made it clear that his rulings will remain unyielding and rooted in what he believes to be right for the country.
“Please, there is no way Mr Speaker seated here can be intimidated by any caucus. It will not happen. I will do what I believe is right and in the national interest. Simple and short,” he stated.
The uproar stemmed from an earlier incident on Tuesday, November 3, during a heated debate over the issuance of diplomatic passports. The Member of Parliament for Damongo, Samuel Abu Jinapor, sparked intense exchange after alleging that diplomatic passports were being sold for sums ranging between $10,000 and $50,000, calling for an immediate probe into the matter.
His explosive claims drew swift resistance from the Majority Leader, James Agalga, who demanded that the Damongo lawmaker either substantiate the assertions or retract them entirely. Intervening in the standoff, Mr Bagbin instructed the MP to provide concrete proof or withdraw the statement.
Despite a protracted back-and-forth that eventually saw Mr Jinapor retract the allegations, the Speaker directed the Parliamentary Marshal to escort him out of the chamber, pointing to his initial refusal to comply promptly. The directive triggered an immediate reaction from the Minority bench, who staged a collective exit in protest against their colleague’s ejection.
Reflecting on the chaos, Mr Bagbin criticized the Minority’s conduct, describing the collective defiance of his ruling as uncalled for and misplaced.
“From my perspective as a Speaker, there was no need for the Minority to decide to flout my directive collectively because a member of theirs had been ordered to be sent out of the House. That was completely wrong,” the Speaker noted.
He further pointed out that the abrupt walkout compromised the official proceedings, explaining that the sudden departure prevented him from giving clear instructions to the Clerk’s Office regarding the parliamentary record.
“What happened yesterday, November 3, was not truly an indicated walkout, but it will be captured in the official report as something that occurred,” he added, expressing regret that the hasty exit denied him the opportunity to officially direct the removal of the contentious remarks from the Hansard.
By: Rainbowradioonline.com/Ghana