Speaker Alban Bagbin has lifted the suspension placed on four Members of Parliament (MPs) over a chaotic incident that occurred during the January 30 sitting of the Appointments Committee
This comes after both leaders of the House pleaded with the Speaker of Parliament to temper justice with mercy.
The Speaker in his ruling on Tuesday indicated that the affected MPs had shown remorse hence his decision to lift the embargo on them.
“As a father, when your son commits an offence, you don’t punish your son to the extent of breaking his leg” Bagbin said.
” I will proceed to lift the suspension of the four Members of Parliament. The MPs who were affected can now return to the chamber or join sittings,” he added .
Earlier the Minority MPs wearing black and red armbands staged a protest at the entrance to the parliamentary chamber in solidarity with their suspended colleagues.
The suspended MPs include the two chief Whips for both the Minority and Majority caucuses, Rockson Nelson Dafeamekpor and Frank Annoh-Dompreh, as well as Alhassan Sulemana Tampuli and Jerry Ahmed Shaib.
Speaking in an interview, MP for Foase-Ayirebi, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, criticised the Speaker for what he described as an improper suspension of MPs without following parliamentary standing orders.
“We have dressed like this in solidarity with our brothers that Mr. Speaker has purported to suspend without recourse to the standing orders,” Mr. Oppong Nkrumah stated.
He stressed that while the Minority understood the Speaker’s anger and had apologised to Ghanaians as a house, they firmly disagreed with the decision to suspend MPs unilaterally.
“The rules do not allow Mr. Speaker, on his own, without recourse to the law, to suspend members. That’s why we are in solidarity with them,” he said.
The Minority MPs called for the chamber doors to be opened, asserting that the house had been adjourned to noon and they expected proceedings to resume.
“We have engaged. We have publicly spoken about the issues. We have made overtures to the office of the Speaker. We have done all that needs to be done,” Mr. Oppong Nkrumah added.
He expressed optimism that the Speaker, whom he described as “a very learned person and experienced member of Parliament,” would reconsider his decision.