Disgraceful; There are some people in Parliament you even wonder their purpose - Prof Agyekum chides MPs

Professor Kofi Agyekum, former Head of Linguistics at the University of Ghana, has condemned Members of the 8th Parliament for actions he considers unbecoming of grown men.

Scores of MPs from the Minority Caucus in Parliament went on a marching parade in the august House on Tuesday, October 22.

It started after the Minority assumed the majority position following an order by the Speaker, Alban Bagbin.

The Speaker had declared the seats represented by the MPs for Agona West, Amenfi Central, Fomena, and Suhum as vacant.

The Minority then turned the floor of the House into a parade while the Majority boycotted proceedings to avoid confrontation with their colleagues who currently claim the majority in Parliament.

Prior to this incident, several chaotic scenes have characterized the august House since 2021.

The most notable melee occurred during the dissolution of the old Parliament and the inauguration of a new one from the night of Wednesday, January 6, 2021, to Thursday, January 7, 2021.

The disruptions in the voting process for a new Speaker of Parliament culminated in the snatching of ballot papers and the invasion of military personnel.

The unparliamentary scenes erupted after a governing party deputy tried to seize the ballot box during the vote for Parliament Speaker.

That clash lasted several hours until the army stepped in, with national television broadcasting the drama live.

Then on Monday, December 20, 2022, Parliament turned into a fighting arena as the Majority and Minority boxed when the first Deputy Speaker, Joseph Osei-Owusu, decided to hand over to his Deputy in order to join his colleague MPs to vote on the controversial E-levy.

The MPs engaged in fisticuffs as the Minority refused to allow the first Deputy Speaker to hand over to the second Deputy Speaker, while the Majority members acted as his shield by exchanging punches with their opponents.

Commenting on the recent fracas during Peace FM's "Kokrokoo" show, Prof. Kofi Agyekum, popularly called "Opanin Agyekum," found this 8th Parliament to be very unserious.

He noted that this Parliament has been characterized by jokes and unnecessary confrontations, wondering why these MPs cannot replicate the good behavior of their predecessors.

"It is disgraceful. It diminishes our reputation," he slammed the MPs, adding, "There are some people in Parliament that you will ask what are they doing there?"