The Member of Parliament (MP) for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has commended the Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin for referring absentee legislators to the Privilege’s Committee.
The speaker, during proceedings of the house on Tuesday April 5, referred three NPP MPs to the committee for missing out on more than 15 sittings.
His referral follows a petition from former Kumbugu MP, Ras Mubarak, who stated that his attention was drawn to the absence of the legislators “through parliament’s Hansard, and newspaper and radio reports”
The lawmakers bound to face the committee include; Sarah Adwoa Safo, Henry Quartey and Kennedy Agyapong.
According to Mr. Ablakwa “Adwoa Safo, Kennedy Agyapong and Henry Quartey must face the music.”
But the MP for Asawase, Muntaka Mubarak shared a contrary view stating that it will set a dangerous precedence which can be used by a “dictator speaker” against legislators in future.
Defending his stance, Speaker Bagbin replied that “you don’t want speaker to be a dictator but you are prepared to create room for committees to be dictators. When the committee decides then that is it.”
While directing the committee to report back to the house, he said “the matter is before the House, it is not just before the Committee. I can’t come and sit here to declare a seat vacant without following a procedure.”
