Brawl in parliament: The worst we could do was to hit our tables and leave the chamber - Osei-Adjei

A former Member of Parliament (MP) for the Ejisu-Juaben constituency in the Ashanti Region, Hon. Akwasi Osei-Adjei, has reacted to the recent scuffle in parliament that occurred at the time the MPs were voting on the controversial e-levy.

He has observed that this parliament’s conduct is in sharp contrast to the parliament that existed when he was an MP.

Recalling his time in parliament, the MP noted that when there was a heated argument in parliament, the worst they could do was to hit their tables and leave the chamber.

Even with that, they were able to reach a consensus and take decisions in the interest of the nation.

Hon. Akwasi Osei-Adjei made this known during an interview with Happy FM’s Don Prah on the ‘Epa Hoa Daben’ show.

“The worst we did in our time was to hit tables and walk out of the chamber. But to take the speaker’s seat? If the speaker named you for doing wrong, what were you going to do about it?"

"We felt our duty as parliamentarians were to deliberate on issues and come to a consensus to help the country. Our focus was on the policies and how these policies will benefit Ghanaians. When we argued on the floor, you could tell that these were solid people who wanted good for the country. But we never went to the extent of throwing fists.”

The former MP has described parliament’s recent action as “unparliamentary” and “a disgrace.”

He has thus called for an inquiry into the matter to ensure that this action does not repeat itself in the future.

Background

Parliament on Monday night turned unruly during voting to consider the Electronic Communications Tax, (E-Levy) proposed by the government in its 2022 budget, under a certificate of urgency.

MPs from opposing sides of the house were at each other’s throats following an attempt by the First Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Joseph Osei-Owusu (NPP, Bekwai), who was presiding over proceedings, to vacate his seat momentarily to enable him to join in the headcount voting.