Minority's action was a ‘self-defense’ act – Sam George

Member of Parliament [MP] for the Ningo-Prampram constituency in the Greater Accra region, Hon. Samuel Nartey George has described actions by the minority in parliament yesterday (Thursday) as a ‘self-defense’ mechanism to protect themselves from possible harm.

A report by the Joe Ghartey committee that investigated the bribery allegation made against Chairman of the Appointments Committee of Parliament resulted in a near-brawl among the parliamentarians from both sides of the house Thursday evening.

This came up when the Speaker of Parliament, Prof. Aaron Mike Oquaye asked Hon Mahama Ayariga to render an unqualified apology as recommended by the Ghartey committee.

However, the confusion followed after the kind and manner of apology Mahama Ayariga, MP for Bawku Central rendered to the house per the recommendation of the Joe Ghartey committee.

The MPs on the majority side felt it was not appropriate as Ayariga used the platform to explain his point and raised some issues.

Right after the Speaker had vacated his seat, there was total chaos in the lawmaking chamber as some members of both sides were captured on national TV in a near-brawl.

It took the intervention of some MPs to calm tempers as the legislator for Ningo Prampram Sam George and his colleague MP for Odododiodoo Nii Lantey Vanderpuije were seen exchanging words with members of the opposite side.

Sam George later told the media they were provoked by the majority side.

Speaking on Okay FM’s ‘Ade Akye Abia’ programme, Hon. George Nartey stated “we cannot sit idle looking on for the majority to cross their boundary to ours, talking and making gestures at us. Indeed, we won’t allow ourselves to be bullied, because we were all voted for to represent a group, therefore we must be bold.”

“I got up from my seat to prevent the majority from attacking us . . . I asked what they were coming to do in our territory and why they have left their quarters to ours. This shows they were ready to attack. That was just what I was doing in the footage that has gone viral,” he explained.

The Speaker of Parliament on January 31 constituted the five member committee chaired by Joe Ghartey, a former Attorney General to probe the bribery scandal that rocked the Joe Osei Owusu-led Appointments Committee.

This followed claims by Mr. Ayariga, a member of the Appointments Committee that Energy Minister Boakye Agyarko tried luring the minority members of the committee with GHC3000 each through the chairman of the vetting committee, Hon. Joe Osei -Owusu and the Minority Chief Whip, Muntaka Mubarak, so he could be recommended for approval following his edgy vetting.