Managing Editor of the Custodian Newspaper, Awudu Mahama, has chastised the Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin for constantly dismissing decisions taken by his 1st Deputy in his absence.
Awudu Mahama disappointed with the Speaker’s actions stated, “What is going on in between the Speaker and his 1st vice in Parliament is not good for democracy. It is true the Speaker has unconventional ways of doing things and I sometimes ask if it is good or not. He changed the entrance the Speaker uses to walk into the house, he changed his dress code to represent the Ghanaian culture. He wears African prints to parliament and that’s a good thing but what happens between him and the 1st Deputy Speaker is not a good thing.”
According to him, Speaker Bagbin using every opportunity to criticize and overturn the decisions of his 1st Deputy is unfair.
The Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, on Wednesday took on his first deputy, Joseph Osei-Owusu over the latter’s decision to dismiss a private member’s motion seeking to probe the government’s COVID-19 expenditure.
According to him, such actions are illegal and offensive and must not reoccur, especially when he had already admitted the motion.
The First Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Joseph Osei-Owusu has denied claims that he overturned a ruling by the Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, to admit a private member’s motion seeking to probe the government’s COVID-19 expenditure.
According to him, the speaker did not rule on the motion. He said at the time the speaker was exiting the chair, an objection was raised against the motion, which required that the arguments from both sides be listened to, and a decision given, which he did in favour of those against the motion.
He said the recent comment by Alban Bagbin on his conduct sets a dangerous path for Ghana’s democracy.
“To say that my ruling is offensive, illegal or unconstitutional because he would have ruled differently is, in my view, a rather dangerous approach to democracy.”
Siding with Joe Wise and his response to the Speaker, Awudu Mahama who has served as a Parliamentary Correspondent added, “as a Speaker, you can accept a motion and anyone can also raise an objection. And accepting a motion is not even a ruling in the first place.”
Speaking on the Editor’s Take Edition of the Happy Morning Show with Samuel Eshun, he asserted that there is the need for an argument to either accept a motion or not, “and the Speaker is supposed to make the decision after the debate so if the person presiding (1st Speaker) decides on the matter after the debate, then you can’t say your decision has been overruled.
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