We’ll be back tomorrow - Minority

Minority Leader Haruna Iddrisu has said that his side will be back in parliament following Tuesday’s walk-out.

Responding to a question by Class91.3FM’s parliamentary correspondent Ekow Annan on the duration of their boycott, the Tamale South MP responded: “Oh we are about to do business tomorrow [Wednesday, August 2] but just to protest his conduct for today and the earlier one when he denied us the opportunity at the level of supplementary that has been given to previous Minority Leaders. The Hon Bagbin had his share, Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu had his share; we are being denied it.”

The Minority staged a walk-out in protest to what they described as the referral of a motion to the Energy Committee without prior debate. The motion was filed by Member of Parliament (MP) for Adansi-Askowa, K.T. Hammond to seek cancellation of the controversial US$510 AMERI power deal signed under the Mahama administration.

Mr Iddrisu told journalists at a press conference after the walk-out that: “We (Minority) had no option than to protest the manner in which he (Speaker) is endangering parliamentary democracy and its practice”.

“Let me place on record to protest against the conduct of the Speaker in referring a motion to a committee of parliament – a motion which has not been debated and a motion for which no decision has been taken.

“This is a house governed by procedure and a house governed by rules and standing orders. Nowhere – and I challenge you to peruse the standing orders and give us basis and justification for the referral,” he argued.

Mr Iddrisu said the current parliament cannot cancel a decision taken by the previous parliament, adding that if there are any issues with the deal, the best place to resolve that will be in court.

The Tamale South MP said a Supreme Court has ruled in a different case sometime back that: “Once parliament gives approval, matters now rest in the realm of the judiciary once there is a contract in force”.

He said the Minority were seeking proper interpretation of the standing orders as to whether one can just get up to rescind a decision taken by a previous parliament.

“The matter the 6th Parliament considered was referred to it by the Executive, we have since not gotten a response to it and the Speaker was not prepared to interpret the standing orders even though he is vested with the authority to do so,” he underscored.

“For the record, our boycott is not because of an Ameri motion but its admissibility and the way he is respecting the rules and the standing orders. How can you refer a motion to a committee of parliament; a motion which has not been debated for which there is no decision and a motion for which the Minority is raising a constitutional, legal objection? The Supreme Court ruled…and we think the appropriate forum is the court.”