Don’t make people think we are enemies – Bagbin to Mensah-Bonsu

Speaker of Parliament Alban Bagbin has said many people are wondering whether or not the Majority Leader Osei-Mensah-Bonsu is still his friend.

This was after the Majority Leader Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu engaged in heated exchanges on the floor of the House.

The Suame lawmaker had asked the speaker to be consistent with his rule regarding those Members of Parliament who want to rise and speak should go about it.

The leader of the government said, “Mr Speaker, even when you were the Deputy Speaker, you were insistent that members speak from their seats so that you will be able to identify them but I noticed that you gather steam to make that pronouncement yet as they days went on you relaxed the rules."

“I will encourage you to be consistent with this so that everybody will speak from his or her seat. That should not be relaxed, I will encourage you to do that.”

In a reply, the Speaker said “Honorable Majority Leader, the Business of Government is led by you in this house. You don’t lead parliament, you lead the business of the House, you lead the Majority and you lead government business.”

“As to the role of the speaker you have not reached there yet, when you get there you will do so,” he stated amidst laughter from the other lawmakers.”

The former MP for Nadwloli Kaleo further stated that “Please you have been my very good friend for all these years until I became speaker and everybody in Ghana is doubting whether you were really my friend. I receive a lot of calls about that and I said you are my friends and you are still my friend and people are doubting it. Please don’t give credence to that doubt.”

Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu said again that “Respectfully, I have not been your friend until you became the speaker. You and I know that we are still friends but we agree to disagree.”