Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu highlights major disagreements with Speaker Bagbin in the 8th Parliament

The outgoing Member of Parliament for Suame, Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, has stated that there were times in the 8th Parliament when Speaker Alban Bagbin interpreted the Constitution wrongly.

In an exclusive interview with GhanaWeb on January 5, 2025, the former Majority Leader explained that while he would not describe the Speaker’s performance as wholly good or poor, as there were instances where his rulings were contentious.

"Generally, I wouldn't say that he has done either good or poorly, he has done quite well. But, as I said, there were occasions where his rulings differed strongly from what was expected. For instance, even during my exit, he made a ruling that I thought was most outrageous. In the face of the Standing Orders, which is a statute and there's no controversy, the orders provide that when there are doubts, the Speaker may come in with his own interpretation. But, when the law provides that the leadership should be constituted by the caucus, and he says that it should not be considered by the caucus but should be done by the party, I thought he was wrong," he noted.

He further explained that there were instances where Speaker Bagbin's interpretations diverged from what was expected. He cited his own tenure, where the Speaker made a ruling that he deemed “outrageous.”

"There have been occasions when he interpreted the Constitution in my view incorrectly. Remember when we came in, he said the Speaker could not vote, which degenerated into chaos in the House to the extent that some members of Parliament had the audacity to move to the Speaker's chair and try to remove it from under the presiding officer. It went to court, and the Supreme Court ruled that the Speaker was wrong in that interpretation," Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu told GhanaWeb.

The former Majority Leader pointed out another instance during the budget approval process.

"The Majority walked out, leaving the NDC with 137 members, fewer than the quorum required. Bagbin ruled that the budget had been rejected, but chose not to move a motion of recession because he viewed the decision as unconstitutional.

"Remember the budget approval process? We, in the Majority, left the chamber. The NDC had 137 members. You're not up to one-half of the number required to approve anything in the chamber. We (NPP) left, and then Bagbin ruled that the budget had been rejected by 137, which was less than the required quorum. It was a Friday. The following Monday, when we went to the House, I did not move a motion of recession of that decision because, if you move a motion of recession, it would mean that a decision had been taken. I said we should ignore what had happened because, on the face of it, it was clearly unconstitutional. So, we ignored it and passed the budget," he recalled.

Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, however, acknowledged Bagbin’s overall performance as Speaker, stating, “As I’ve said, in balance, I would say that he has not done badly as Speaker, but there is room for improvement in his performance."

JKB/MA

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