Report on Ken Agyapong describing parliament as 'useless' to be presented today

The Privileges Committee will today (Wednesday), present the first report on Kennedy Agyapong to Parliament, regarding alleged derogatory comments he made about the Legislative body.

This was necessitated after the Speaker of the House, Professor Aaron Mike Oquaye rejected an appeal by Chairman of the committee Mr Joseph Osei Owusu to have them present nt the report after they conclude the second contempt case filed against the same MP.

Mr Kennedy Agyapong, Member of Parliament for Assin Central, was hauled before the Privileges Committee over his comments believed to have offended Parliament and Mr Osei Kyei Mensah-Bonsu, the Majority Leader.

Mr. Agyapong was investigated by the Privileges Committee in 2018 after he reportedly described Parliament as “useless.”

I said parliament is cheap, not useless – Ken Agyapong disputes claims

Embattled Member of Parliament for Assin Central MP, Kennedy Agyapong has vehemently refuted allegations of contempt brought against him by college Member of Parliament and Minority Chief Whip, Alhaji Muntaka Mubarak.

Mr. Agyapong who appeared before the Privileges Committee on Monday, July 23, 2018, following a public hearing which ended inconclusively in June strongly denied ever describing Parliament as useless in any of his media utterances on Anas Aremeyaw Anas’ Number 12 premiere but rather cheap as against widely circulated reports.

“I want to state on record that I never said Parliament is useless. That, I will never admit it because I never said that but I said Parliament has become cheap.”

“The Chairman directed that with all that has been said here they are interested in two words, cheap and useless, and I have admitted that I used the word cheap but I didn’t say parliament is useless,” he noted.



Kennedy Agyapong upon appearing before the committee at the second public hearing on Monday, however, argued that the Member of Parliament for Asawase, Muntaka Mubarak, did not use the appropriate channel to acquire a video recording which captured him making the supposed derogatory remarks against Parliament before tendering it in as evidence.

He accused Muntaka of relying on social media and non-existing online portal "MyNewGh.com" for information and consequently doctoring a tape with mischieve before furnishing the accused with copies which the respondent's council relied on to build a defense.

Mr. Agyapong who disputed the allegations of dragging the name of the House into disrepute contended that his remarks were necessitated by the interference of the Majority leader, Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, in his media war with ace journalist Anas, citing emotions and anger at the time.

The Assin Central MP, however, rendered an unqualified apology to the committee and expressed his readiness to retract his comments which have been deemed derogatory to the image of the leadership of the house and the entire house but reiterated his stance of not using the word “useless” as widely reported on social and mainstream media.



“I apologise, giving the background I have given you. Those who went on air to call me names among other things and my leader not calling me, that is why I said parliament is cheap so I have apologized to that but it doesn’t mean I admit everything presented as evidence. I don’t want to drag matters but I could,” he said.

Mr Agyapong explained “I was furious based on what was going on, people granting interviews and condemning me. So I was furious and I said that, but I don’t mind retracting that word,” he concluded.

He has also apologized to the Majority leader, Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu for spitting vernomous comments about him.