Anti-corruption campaigner and leading member of Occupy Ghana, Sydney Casely Hayford has condemned the Member of Parliament (MP) for Bawku Central, Mahama Ayariga for his rudeness towards the Speaker of Parliament, Rt. Hon. Mike Ocquaye during proceedings in the House on Thursday.
The ad-hoc committee set up to investigate claims made by Mr Ayariga on Accra-based Radio Gold that Minister of Energy, Boakye Agyarko had attempted to bribe some members of the Appointments Committee through its chairman, Joseph Osei-Owusu and Minority Chief Whip Mohammed Muntaka presented its findings.
According to the committee, "Mr Ayariga failed to prove indeed that Hon. Boakye Agyarko gave money to Hon. Joseph Osei-Owusu to be distributed to members of the Appointments Committee with a view to bribe them".
It thus "came to the firm conclusion that Mr Mahama Ayariga is in Contempt of Parliament on the strength of Article 122 of the 1992 Constitution, Section 32 of the Parliament Act 1965 (Act 300) and Orders 28 and 30 (2) of the Standing Orders of Parliament" and subsequently recommended "that Mr Mahama Ayariga renders an unqualified apology to the House, purging himself of contempt".
READ ALSO:Â Ghartey Committee exonerates Osei-Owusu; Finds Ayariga in contempt of Parliament
But when it came the time for the apology, a clearly dissatisfied Ayariga who sought to express his displeasure on the report ignored the Speakers advice to go straight to the apology and went ahead questioned whether the committee had the powers to make findings of contempt against.
After making his point, he unwillingly rendered the apology saying "Mr Speaker, if you say I should I apologise, I apologise".
His conduct has been widely criicised as being unapologetic and not remorseful.
Speaking on the matter on Citi FM's Big Issues on Saturday, Mr Casely-Hayford was of the opinion that Mr Ayariga's behaviour was a clear show of disrespect to the Speaker.
"What Ayariga did in Parliament was a rude comment back to the Speaker and House and must not be tolerated. Mahama Ayariga needed to render a true and proper apology, what he did was intellectual dishonesty", he maintained.
According to him, The issue has nothing to do with Parliament, it has to do with decency,  upbringing in our society, respect for authority and Mr Ayariga ought to have knwn better
Lamenting what he saw as a disparity between the treatment of "our traditional leaders and leaders in the establishment", he stated, "if Ayariga had to go apologise to the Bawku Naba, he'd never say if you say I should then I apologise'"
Â
Â
Â
Â