‘Showdown’ set as Ken Agyapong faces privileges committee to defend ‘offensive’ statements

Member of Parliament for Assin Central, Kennedy Agyapong will have his chance to face-off the Minority Chief Whip, Mubarak Muntaka in a ‘showdown’ as promised when he takes his turn before Parliament’s Privileges Committee to explain and defend comments he made about parliament which have been described as ‘insulting’ by the latter.

Mr. Agyapong has been given the 3rd of July by the privileges committee to present his case following the conclusion by committee members that the MP breached among other things, article 112 of the 1992 constitution, the code of conduct of the MP’s and standing orders of parliament.

The case was established as a prima facie after members of the committee sat in a meeting on Tuesday June 26, 2018.

Speaking to the media after the sitting, Ras Mubarak who was present at the sitting explained;

“This meeting was to lay the ground rules and to determine if there was a prima facie case and the committee has decided that what Hon. Kennedy Agyapong had said, was in breach of article 112 of our 1992 constitution, is in breach of our own standing orders and also in breach of our code of conducts for members of parliament”

“There’s a way that we should carry ourselves about outside, not just on the floor of parliament and the things he has said publicly on radio and TV clearly violate the code of conduct of members of parliament. If you look at clause 4 (9) of the code of conduct of MPs, these are things that clearly do not best represent the dignity of members of parliament”, he stated.

“That is the verdict of the committee that indeed the code of conduct has been breached, that indeed in the spirit of natural justice, he ought to be given an opportunity to explain himself and on the 3rd of July when the committee convenes again”, he continued.

According to Mr. Mubarak, the final decision to determine the fate of the Honorable member Agyapong on the matter can only be established after the next scheduled sitting where both parties will be allowed to present their case and cross-examine each other before the committee.

“The Honorable Chief Whip will be given an opportunity, Ken will have an opportunity to cross-examine him or to come with a lawyer to cross-examine him and vice versa and it will be up to the committee to recommend or take a decision on the things that they would have investigated”, he indicated.

“When people are in contempt of parliament, there are a raft of punishments that could take place if the person is an MP for instance the sitting place of the person could be altered…..worst case scenario, it could be pushed to a vote on the floor as to whether he should continue to be a member of parliament and this is something that has not been invoked before”, he further stated.

I’m confident in my evidence against Kennedy Agyapong – Muntaka

The Minority Chief Whip, Muntaka Mubarak who appeared before the privileges committee as witness in the case however was confident that the evidence he had presented to the house is enough to convince them to take the necessary action against the Assin Central MP, Ken Agyapong.

Speaking to the press after the sitting, Mr. Mubarak said,

“I appeared before the committee as a witness and I have to substantiate all that I have said, and I have to identify the document and all that I presented to them. They looked at it and fortunately because we had a video, it had to be played so that everybody hears what is in it. I have done my part.

“They asked me questions and I answered the questions. It is now for the committee to determine that what I have put before them and what they have seen amounts to what I proposed on the floor of being contemptuous. It is my fervent hope that looking at the tape and listening to its content and the conduct of our own colleague, I want to believe that the committee will come to that determination,” he added.

Background

Both Members of Parliament, Honourables, Kennedy Agyapong and Mubarak Muntaka have been in a ‘war of words’ after the former made comments deemed derogatory and offensive about parliament.

Kennedy Agyapong reportedly described Parliament as “useless” for having Osei Kyei Mensah-Bonsu as its Majority leader on Accra-based Net2 TV, which belongs to him, comments he argues were taken out of context.

He took it on with Muntaka Mubarak after he described his comments as contemptuous and reported him to parliament, Agyappong labeled the Asawase MP as ‘dumb’, promising to give him a showdown if he asked for one.