Dr. Kojo Asante, the Center for Democratic Development’s (CDD-Ghana) Director of Advocacy and Policy Engagement, has questioned the process Speaker Alban Bagbin utilized to suspend the four MPs involved in the Appointment Committee altercation last Thursday.
Due process might not have been followed, he said.
In an interview with Channel 1 TV’s Big Issue on Saturday, January 1, 2025, Dr. Asante acknowledged the urgency of taking immediate action, but questioned whether the suspension was in accordance with Parliament’s Standing Orders.
“I commend that there was swift action, but also when I look at the Standing Orders of Parliament, I’m not sure whether the right procedure was followed, because when you look at the issues of privileges, immunities and so on and so forth, this is a matter that normally would be referred to the Privileges Committee.” he stated.
Following a chaotic incident during the vetting of ministerial nominees, Speaker Bagbin suspended Frank Annoh-Dompreh (MP for Nsawam-Adoagyiri), Alhassan Tampuli Sulemana (MP for Gushegu), Jerry Ahmed Shaib (MP for Weija-Gbawe), and Rockson-Nelson Dafeamekpor (MP for South Dayi) for two weeks on Friday, January 31. He called their behavior a “embarrassment to the institution of Parliament” and barred them from the chamber.
However, Dr. Asante noted that even if Speaker Bagbin made a procedural error, there might be a problem with the standard disciplinary procedure because several of the suspended MPs were also important members of the Privileges Committee, which led to them serving as judges in their own cases.
“The only challenge is that maybe some of the leaders of the Privileges Committee who have been suspended are probably going to be the ones that are going to sit on their own case,” he observed.
Legal experts like Martin Kpebu have questioned the Speaker’s decision’s constitutionality and urged the suspended MPs to seek legal remedy, which his remarks add to the rising worries surrounding it.
The controversy surrounding the suspension continues to feed debate about due process and parliamentary discipline, despite the Speaker’s defense that the action was required to restore order in Parliament.
Source: newsthemegh.com