[ad_1]
Politics of Friday January 15, 2021
Source: GNA
2021-01-15
Haruna Iddrisu, MP, Tamale South
The Democratic National Congress Caucus insisted on Thursday that the PNP Group cannot claim a majority in the House despite a letter from Mr. Andrew Asiamah Amoako, the independent deputy from Fomena to partner with the New Patriotic Party Group ( PNP) in Parliament.
Asiamah Amoako has written to the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Alban Bagbin, to officially indicate her willingness to partner with the New Patriotic Party (PNP) in the House.
“I, Andrew Asiamah Amoako, an independent member of the Fomena constituency and now Second Vice Speaker of the same Parliament, hereby declare that, for the purposes of conducting business transactions in the House, I will associate with the PNP in the Eighth Parliament.”
“For the avoidance of doubt, I hereby affirm that I will cooperate and collaborate with the PNP Caucus in the Eighth Parliament,” he said in the communication to the Speaker.
His request to the Spokesperson raises the NPP numbers to 138 to lead with one more deputy in the numbers on the NDC, but Mr. Haruna Iddrisu, leader of the NDC Group says that “there is nothing like the Majority Caucus or the Caucus of the minority in the Standing Orders of Parliament or in the Constitution.
He added: “In fact, the official records of Parliament would simply record that NDC has 137 seats, NPP has 137 and there is an independent deputy.”
Iddrisu stressed a presser at Parliament House in Accra to react to some developments related to the Eighth Parliament.
The Eighth Parliament of the Fourth Republic of Ghana, inaugurated on January 7, 2021, resumes on Friday, January 15, 2021, after a week of rest after its session after the inauguration.
Without a clear majority or minority in the House, reports of two House leadership meetings have circulated.
While the PNP says it would soon become the majority with the Fomena MP’s communication to side with him, the NDC insists the House remains a divided parliament.
The speaker is expected to announce the independent candidate’s decision to do business with the PNP in the Chamber tomorrow, Friday, January 15.
Iddrisu said: “You will recall that a week ago, on January 7, 2021, the Secretary of Parliament read a letter from the Election Commission.
“This correspondence indicated that the Democratic National Congress (NDC) has 137 seats, the New Patriotic Party (PNP) also has 137 seats and there is an Independent deputy. Thus: NDC-137NPP-137; and Independent – 1.
“From that official correspondence from the Electoral Commission, clearly, neither the NDC nor the PNP have majority seats in Parliament.
The NDC group leader added: “I am sure you take into account Article 97, clause (1) (h) of the 1992 Constitution, which states that:” A member of Parliament will vacate his seat in Parliament if he was elected Member of Parliament as an independent candidate and joins a political party. “
On the composition of the various committees in parliament, the NDC Group called for a fair composition of the various parliament committees based on the number of seats held by the party and the PNP Caucus.
“The NDC caucus will insist that the composition of the committees of this 8th Parliament reflect its current nature because it is the first time that we have 137-137. Therefore, the composition of the committees should reflect the character and strength of the political parties and the number of elected deputies, ”said Iddrisu.
He added: “The composition should reflect beyond the simple numbers and cover other factors, including even the leadership of the committees because, since we have 137,137, who chairs and who leads? We are equal.
“You must understand that parliament is a single, distinct and separate state body. We are the legislative body and the way we do our business is a matter that reflects our strength and size ”.
He added that beyond mere numbers there are other factors, including the leadership of the committees.
“We know that in addition to the Selection Committee, which is chaired by the Speaker, the Parliament’s Rules of Procedure foresee 11 Standing Committees and 16 Select Committees. Of the 11 Standing Committees, the presidencies of 7 are predetermined by the Regulations, ”said Iddrisu.
“The composition of the committees will reflect, as far as possible, the different shades of opinion of Parliament.
Iddrisu said that, given the current figures, there should be a strict division of the leadership of the Select Committees between the two sides of the House. Of the 16 select committees, the NDC should chair 8, while the PNP would also chair 8.
This would be a faithful reflection of the different shades of opinion in the current Parliament as provided for in the 1992 Constitution under Article 103 (5) and Order 154 of the House Rules.
“In fact, with regard to the other factors that reflect the different shades of opinion in Parliament,” we implore the leaders of both sides to strive to nominate qualified people to serve on the committees taking into account gender, age distribution, experience, regional balance, among other factors, ”said Iddrisu, who is also the MP for Tamale South.
He said it has become imperative for the House to adopt new Bylaws that address the current nature and character of the Eighth Parliament, noting that the House has no choice but to work with existing Bylaws, albeit with their shortcomings.
The NDC Caucus congratulated President Bagbin on his election as President and affirmed its unwavering support and continued cooperation with him.
