Former Member of Parliament (MP) representing Ejisu-Juaben constituency of the Ashanti Region of Ghana in the 4th Parliament of the 4th Republic of Ghana, Akwasi Osei-Adjei says the frequent brawls in parliament will only cause the citizenry to lose hope in the legislature.
According to him, the Ghanaian culture perceives anyone who resorts to violence during decision making as not having any argument, and is just forcing themselves and their ideas on others.
Criticizing MPs for brawling on Monday December 20, during a vote to consider the Electronic Communications Tax, (E-Levy) proposed by the government in its 2022 budget, under a certificate of urgency, the former MP said, “In a country where our culture abhors violence but respects idea sharing and constructive criticism, anyone who disrupts an intellectual discourse with violence is regarded as having no reasonable alternative to offer.”
With the sovereignty of Ghana in the hands of the populace, he added, “We don’t want the people to lose hope in their MPs. The people expect MPs to live up to a certain standard and is that what is being done today? It will be a worry for the people to lose confidence in the system.”
He called for a probe into the violence which occurred in parliament as the country’s democracy is young and argues no one and nothing should cut it short.
“What happened in parliament is wrong and needs fixing. It is quiet serious but I think we need to put an end to this and make sure it is not repeated. If that is not done, worse incidents may happen in the next 10 years,” he added.
Parliament on Monday night turned unruly during voting to consider the Electronic Communications Tax, (E-Levy) proposed by the government in its 2022 budget, under a certificate of urgency.
MPs from opposing sides of the house were at each other’s throat following an attempt by the First Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Joseph Osei Owusu (NPP, Bekwai), who was presiding over proceedings, to vacate his seat momentarily to enable him join in the head count voting.
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