Muntaka proposes formulation of Ethics Committee of Parliament

The debate about whether or not to haul Member of Parliament for Awutu Senya East, Mavis Hawa Koomson, to the Privileges Committee of Parliament for firing gunshots at a voters registration centre in her constituency has aroused the need for the house to consider putting in place an Ethics Committee.

Minority Chief Whip, Muntaka Mubarak, who says he has little or no faith in the Privileges Committee to do the needful says he has tabled a proposal before the leadership of the house to consider adopting the Ethics Committee to deal with matters that bring the name of the house into disrepute decisively.

Mavis Hawa Koomson who also doubles as Minister for Special Development Initiatives admitted to firing a gun at the Step to Christ registration centre in Kasoa during a voter registration exercise on Monday, 20 July 2020 but says it was in self-defence.

The action which has brought to question her reputation as a Member of Parliament and a Minister of State for that matter has seen sections of the public calling for her arrest and dismissal by the President.

On Tuesday, 21 July 2020 while addressing the press in Parliament, MP for Kumbungu, Ras Mubarak called for the hauling of the MP cum Minister before the Privileges Committee.

In his view "She [Hawa Komson] brought the name of Parliament into disrepute, she's embarrassed Parliament and I think Parliament has the unique opportunity, a very unique opportunity to do the needful, a very unique opportunity to restore public confidence in this great institution of Parliament by hauling her to the Privileges Committee for embarrassing the honourable house of Parliament."

But his colleague MP for Asawase and Minority Chief Whip, Muntaka Mubarak, holds a contrary view.

Mr Mubarak says his faith in the Privileges Committee is dwindling noting that the committee has failed to crack the whip on members in some events past.

"Me I doubt whether the Privileges Committee will act. We've seen so many things in this house that the Privileges Committee fails to act…I don't know why we do that to ourselves," he said.

As the leadership of the house reviews its standing orders, Mr Muntaka says he is hopeful the house will adopt his proposal for the formulation of Ethics Committee as he asserts "because of that in the new standing orders, I'm calling for Ethics Committee and graciously I've seen that it's been proposed that we have an Ethics Committee because ethics will take it more broadly than just the privileges."