Parliament expected to reconvene today
Majority ready to challenge the rejection of 2022 budget
Minority makes 5 demands on government
Parliament reconvenes today
The much-anticipated sitting of parliament comes off today Tuesday, November 30, 2021, with both the majority and minority members of parliament (MPs) readying themselves to lock horns over the rejection of the 2022 budget statement.
In what promises to
Read full articlebe the second biggest topical issue since the eve of the election of the Speaker of parliament, the majority insists that the rejection of the budget statement is unconstitutional whiles the minority, who in the absence of the majority took the decision, hold a contrary view to their counterparts.
Parliament in a dramatic fashion on Friday, November 26, 2021, voted to reject the 2022 budget statement presented by Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta on Wednesday, November 17, 2021, amid majority MPs staging a walkout-the first time a majority side has walked out of the Chambers.
Majority’s stance
The majority through its leader, Osei Kyei Mensah Bonsu, maintains that the actions on the floor of the House leading to eventual rejection of the budget are null and void.
He premised his arguments on Article 104 (1) and Order 109(1) of the Standing Orders of Parliament.
Article 104 (1) states “Except as otherwise provided in this Constitution, matters in Parliament shall be determined by the votes of the majority of members present and voting, with at least half of all the members of Parliament present” while Order 109(1) of the Standing Orders of Parliament buttresses it by stating that “No Question for decision in the House shall be proposed for determination unless there are present in the House not less than one-half of all the Members of the House, and, except otherwise provided in the Constitution, the Question proposed shall be determined by the majority of the votes of the Members present and voting.”
To this end, they argue that per the hung nature of parliament at least 138 MPs were supposed to be present before the Speaker, Alban Bagbin, put the question which they say was not the case since they staged a walkout.
Demands of the Minority
The minority caucus has since day one of the presentation of the 2022 budget vowed to reject it based on some components including the e-levy and Agyapa deal which they want completely withdrawn.
They also want the government to properly reconstruct the wording relating to the Aker Energy deal and to also make provisions to cater for tidal waves disasters.
Lastly, they want the government to remove benchmark values on all imports before they will support the budget.
Minority’s integrity at stake
Aside their uncompromising position on the budget statement, the minority MPs have their integrity to protect having failed to in the earlier phase of the 8th parliament follow through with their pledge to reject President Akufo-Addo’s ministerial nominees.
Communications Officer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Sammy Gyamfi, had cause to come furiously at the leadership of the minority accusing them of pursuing their own personal and selfish parochial interest.
For this and other reasons, a ranking member on parliament’s finance committee, Cassiel Ato Forson confirmed that it was as a result of these accusations that it refused the finance minister’s request to engage minority leaders in private on Friday November 26,2021.
“I mean I agree with the minority leader [Haruna Iddrisu] when he says that of recent, the has been times that minority leadership has been accused and obviously at the time that he was minority leader…so there were some elements of mistrust. And you know one particular thing did not help the matter.
"When the Honourable Muntaka [Minority chief whip] had come back from the engagement with the Speaker [Alban Bagbin], and communicated to the minority side that apparently Finance Minister [Ken Ofori-Atta] wants to meet the caucus to have an engagement…the leadership of the caucus and the leader particularly said no for the simple reason that there had been reportage from Joy that the finance minister has said he knows how to go about in a way to engage the minority to get them to change their position,” he said on Newsfile on Saturday, November 27, 2021.
Per the above, the minority is not expected to budge to the whims and caprices of the majority group.
Alban Bagbin’s absence and its effect
The Speaker, per a notice from the parliamentary service, left the country on Saturday, November 27, 2021, to undergo a medical review in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates.
He is expected to be back in the country on Tuesday, December 14, 2021.
In his absence, the first deputy speaker, Joe Osei Wusu who is part of the majority side will preside over the sitting. This leaves the majority side short of one MP since he will have no voting right when it comes to decision making.
Both sides of the House will now have 137 MPs each and assuming both sides vote for their stance on whether or not the budget has been rejected, then the constitution in Article 104(3) states that “Where the votes on any motion are equal it shall be taken to be lost.”
Majority group standing on limping legs
Even though the majority will have 137 MPs, it still stands the chance of losing out due to the likelihood of a missing MP.
Although some four MPs belonging to the majority group were allegedly flown in to participate in the voting process on Friday night, reports suggest that one MP, Sarah Adwoa Sarfo was missing for unknown reasons.
Should it happen again that the MP fails to show up, the NPP risks beating retreat on challenging the rejection of the budget.
Indeed, today’s sitting promises to be a showdown between the majority and minority caucuses.
