Bloody widow placards: NDC MPs want probe into contempt charges stopped

Minority Members of Parliament are urging the Speaker of Parliament to end investigations into the contempt charges against them for displaying ”bloody widow” placards on the floor during the swearing in of the Ayawaso West Wuogon MP, Lydia Alhassan.

The first deputy speaker of Parliament Joe Osei Owusu who presided over proceedings on February 6 directed the table office of Parliament to produce footage of proceedings to identify the MP’s for appropriate sanctions after the Minority leadership failed to apologize on behalf of its members.

The Deputy Majority Leader Sarah Adwoa Safo on Friday, told the House that the clerks and Table Office of Parliament have been unable to identify the MPs after reviewing the visuals of proceedings.

She added that Leadership is liaising with the Public Affairs Department to obtain the tapes from media houses to sanction the culprits.

“The information I’m picking up from the table and clerk’s office is that they have a tape but the identification of the specific members has been the challenge and the tapes has been presented to the first deputy speaker.

“I want to assure members that leadership will take the matter up. If parliament tapes are not as visible as they are being told from the public affairs directorate, I believe that day there were other media men in the chamber who might have recorded what happened.”

But the National Democratic Congress Member of Parliament for Adaklu, Governs Kwame Agbodza, wants the case abandoned.

“It’s tricky, we’ve all carried placards in Parliament before if it is wrong then it’s wrong. If you begin to say who carried placards are you saying carrying placards on this occasion or all those who have carried placards since 1993, is that what they are looking for? I think that the issue is politically vexed and we should just ignore that thing and move on.”