Speaker, Alban Bagbin, has jabbed the leadership of the Majority in what many see as a precursor to another bout of drama in Parliament when MPs resume sitting tomorrow, Tuesday, January 25, 2022.
Speaking at the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association workshop today, Monday, January 24, 2022, the Speaker of Parliament said the decision by both the Minority and Majority to marshall their numbers instead of reaching a consensus on the contentious E-Levy was to blame for the tension in the House.
He said contrary to suggestions by the Majority Leader, Osei Kyei Mensah Bonsu, he is not to blame for the failure of the electronic tax bill to pass.
“The only way is to get the two sides to consult and to dialogue with each other, to cooperate, to compromise, to collaborate to achieve consensus, this is an imperative imposed on us political leaders by the people of Ghana, we have no choice.
“So when the other side fails to gather their number and a decision doesn’t favour them, the Speaker cannot be the cause…I am not a Member of Parliament in Ghana," the Speaker said, promising to apply the rules of Parliament to the letter.
The Majority Leader has consistently blamed to Speaker for the acrimony between the two sides of Parliament over the bill.
Besides the banter between the Speaker and the Majority Leader ahead of tomorrow, legislators on the Minority and Majority sides have also been holding separate crunch meetings to strategise.
READ ALSO: Majority Leader claims NDC MPs have already passed E-levy
The governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) MPs spent the weekend at Kwahu in the Eastern Region strategising for the second session of the 8th Parliament, whereas the Minority MPs stormed Ada in the same region on a similar mission.
Ahead of the resumption of Parliament tomorrow, Majority Chief Whip, Frank Annoh-Dompreh and Minority Chief Whip, Muntaka Mubarak, have been speaking to Accra-based Citi News on how the two sides are preparing for proceedings.
According to Annoh-Dompreh, the Majority side concedes the stakes are very high for the Akufo-Addo led government, as they attempt to pass the e-levy bill after failed attempts in December.
“If we are unable to prosecute government business, at the end of the day, the Minority does not lose anything, regardless of the fact they are representatives of their people from various constituencies. At the end of the day, the buck stops with the government,” he said.
On his part, Alhaji Muntaka Mubarak is hopeful his side will deal with issues dear to the heart of the ordinary Ghanaian including matters of covid expenditure, the election-related disturbances in Techiman, the district assembly election, the procurement of mathematical sets, among others.
“Because the budget was on, and we all know during budget processes, it is very difficult to get other business going, so I am sure in our first meeting, these are some of the motions that we will be pursuing very strongly,” the Minority Chief Whip said.
It is certain that the second session of the 8th Parliament won’t be markedly different from the first session that was characterised by acrimony and a hard stance by both sides.