Speaker of Parliament Alban Bagbin has questioned the Minority Caucus in Parliament’s decision to opt out of an orientation workshop for Members of Parliament (MPs.)
According to the Speaker, the reason for the New Patriotic Party Members of Parliament’s withdrawal from the programme is untenable.
“Their reason is that the cost component is too much and they don’t want to be part. Please doubt allow your political difference to enslave you” he stated.
He explained: “There are good reasons why we choose venues for this, its not partisan, there is always a search party who go round and discuss with the various hospitalities, look at the cost component, the facilities, their suitability and the convenience of your movements before we decide where to go…”
Honourable Bagbin’s current position is a sharp contrast to his earlier view where he had insisted that similar orientation workshops for Members of Parliament should be held in Parliament House instead of Rock City Hotel in the Eastern Region.
He had argued that any objective person and any patriot looking at the report as a guide, will not say the Post Budget Workshop should be held at the Rock City.
“The copy is there for anybody to look at it, the details are here and as a Speaker I will not shortage the interest of the country just because Honorable Bryan Acheampong is my friend, I won’t do that.”
The Speaker indicated “I am tempted to go by the proposal that were made on the floor. These discussions on the floor that day ignited a public debate of the matter and social media.”
Honourable Bagbin stated that internationally, Parliament was taken to the cleaners and Members were considered as being insensitive and greedy and that our Parliament was not responsive to the interest of Ghanaians but there was no such decision.
