AFAG condemns unruly conduct in Parliament

Pressure group Alliance for Accountable Governance (AFAG) has condemned the unruly conduct of some Members of Parliament (MPs) on the floor of the House of Parliament during the election of Speaker for the 8th Parliament on January 6, 2020.

The group’s leadership in a statement decried the needless confrontations and called for a speedy independent investigation to discipline the culprits.

“The complete breakdown of law and order which resulted in several hours of chaotic scenes during the swearing-in of the MP's elect and the election of Speaker for the 8th Parliament is possibly the worst incident in the Chamber of Parliament of the Republic of Ghana.”

“Footage from the overnight confrontation showed numerous pockets of free-for-all brawls between NPP and NDC members which disrupted the nightlong program. Assault on a female MP who was forcefully shoved off the chair, snatching and chewing of ballot papers by Carlos Kingsley Ahenkrah, kicking of the ballot box and polling booths by John Jinapor and unruly behaviour of Mohammed-Mubarak Muntaka and others must be investigated.”

The statement added that “AFAG does not expect Parliament to conduct an impartial investigation so it must appoint an independent body to conduct the investigation into its misconduct. The investigation should further address the issue of the deployment of heavily armed military men into the Chamber of Parliament. AFAG would want to know who sanctioned this deployment and for what purpose.”

“The investigation should recommend the appropriate sanctions for all actors. The sanction should be in line with the standing orders of Parliament and the laws of the land. The honour and dignity of Parliament is at stake.”