Complaint against NPP MPs “will not work” - Freddie Blay

A former First Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Freddie Blay has said that the complaint filed against the New Patriotic Party (NPP) MPs by the MP for Builsa North “will not work.”

He described the move as “politics as usual and its part of the politics in the House…I don’t think it will work.”

MP for Builsa North, James Agalga has dragged the entire Minority side in Parliament before the Privileges Committee for flashing inscriptions ‘stealers’ on the floor of Parliament moments before walking out on President John Mahama’s State of the Nation address.

Expressing his thoughts on the matter on Tuesday, Mr. Blay said any such action is “political…and maybe one needs to talk about it, one needs to discuss it, persuasion and so forth.”

He continued saying, “for you to say you are referring a whole group of people to the Privileges [Committee] and that you want the Speaker to refer it, who is going to do that? It’s made up of a committee of members from both sides. I don’t think it will work.”

He recalled that MPs wielding placards is an activity that has happened in Parliament under different governments.

According to Mr. Blay, “when President Kufuor was in power, there were quite a number of placards that were wielded by the Minority then and when Professor Mills was also in power, the Minority then, the NPP members also wielded placards...but I don’t approve of it.”