It seems some NDC MPs don’t understand parliamentary practice – Majority Leader

The Majority Leader in Parliament, Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu has said there are grounds to believe that some members of the National Democratic Congress' Caucus in the legislature have no understanding of Parliamentary practices.

Speaking in an interview with Joy News monitored by GhanaWeb, the Majority leader stated that he came to this conclusion following some developments in the House relative to the approval of Ministerial nominees as well as the budget and how some of the Minority MPs acted in the process.

“The last one, for instance, the approval of Ken Ofori Atta. The Committee came by a report recommending him to Parliament for approval by consensus. They themselves had not raised any issues against him, so they had agreed and recommended his approval to parliament by consensus.

"So consensus on two counts; from the committee and recommending to plenary to approve him by consensus. And yet when we came to the floor, it developed to something else. With a hostile backbench saying that no, rising up to say that let’s subject it to voting. And I was looking at it and I was asking myself what is happening?

"The approval of the policy after the debate on the budget, the approval also ended in a headcount. What is the point in this? To me it looks like some of them don’t understand the business of parliament,” he submitted.

According to the Suame MP, there is an outlook that makes it seem that some of the Minority MPs have been brainwashed into resisting government and the majority side of the house without necessarily knowing the implications.

“It looks like people don’t understand the implications of what sometimes they do because with the headcount when the NDC lost narrowly by 134 against 137, one of them who came to me then said to me, he is a very loud member of the NDC.

"He said to me that yes, we were lucky. If they had thrown out the budget, outvoting it, we would’ve had to come to Parliament and then it would require two-thirds majority to approve it. I was telling him that no, there is nothing like that in the constitution. He was insisting. So it looks like some people have been brainwashed,” he added.

Separated by just a single vote of an independent member who has since declared his support for the Majority, the Minority side of Ghana’s 8th Parliament have sought to defeat the majority on several occasions of voting.

Despite the Minority’s efforts, the Majority side of the house seems to have had its way in almost all instances till date. The recent one being the approval of the Finance Minister, Ken Ofori Atta.

The Minister’s approval amongst other matters has led to some internal jostling within the Minority and a Member of the Appointments Committee from the Minority side, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa has resigned from the committee saying it was on principle and personal grounds.