The Member of Parliament for Sefwi Wiawso, Dr. Kwaku Afriyie, has addressed the incident that led to him being walked out of parliament by the Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin.
Videos of the incident showed Dr. Kwaku Afriyie bowing before the Speaker moments before he was escorted out by the marshal of parliament.
Clarifying why he did so, the former Minister of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation, in an interview on Okay FM on Tuesday, July 23, explained that he bowed as a sign of respect to the Speaker and acknowledgement of parliamentary protocol and to further dispel any accusations of arrogance.
According to him, reports that he resisted the order issued by the Speaker are also inaccurate.
Dr. Kwaku Afriyie disclosed that he had already packed his items even before the marshal proceeded to escort him out, indicating his readiness to comply with the Speaker’s directive to leave the chamber.
“When the marshal was escorting me out, I told him to allow me to bow to the speaker because I foresaw that this matter will be discussed in the country for some time. That is why I bowed before him and his chair before heading out.
“My bowing out did not even convince him to rescind on his directive. Some people were misinterpreting that I was resisting to be walked out. Actually, when he (the Speaker) first gave the order, I had already started packing my belongings so there was no resistance. It was the marshal who tried to hold my hand to push me out as if I had committed a crime,” he clarified.
Watch the video below:
MAG/AE
