Accra, July 3, GNA - Parliament on Thursday prematurely suspended business during the consideration stage of the anti-terrorism bill after the NDC members raised issues over the lack of quorum for any serious work.
The House begun business promptly at 1000 hours and shortly went into the winnowing process of the consideration stage to define the bill and its application.
The minority side however, drew the attention of the House to the fact that it lacked a quorum to take quality decisions on such an important motion and invoked the provisions of the standing orders. Dr. Ben Kunbuor, NDC-Lawra Nadom, who led the minority side, said order 48 stated that if at the time of sitting a member raises an objection that there was no quorum to do business and after an interval of 10 minutes a quorum was still not present, the House shall adjourn.
Mr. Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, Deputy Majority Leader, leading his side, however said it was not unseal for the House to transact business during the consideration of bills with few members present since it did not devalue the quality of work or debate.
He then went ahead to ask for an early adjournment after the Speaker, Mr Ebenezer Sekyi Hughes, had prompted the leadership on both sides to arrive at a decision on the matter.
Mrs Eugenia Kusi a Deputy Majority Whip, in an interview with the According to her, it was not as a result of the few numbers present in the House.
The passage of the bill has become crucial because all member states of the United Nations are obliged under the Security Council Resolution 1373 of 2001 to deny safe haven to those who finance, plan, support or commit terrorist acts.
