Speaker Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin has described as a grievous error Parliament’s Votes and Proceedings of Tuesday 29th March, 2022 that recorded eight members of the 137 Minority members as absent.
The document also failed to record the fact the Minority Caucus staged a walkout during the second reading of the controversial Electronic Transaction Levy (E-levy).
The Minority strongly objected to the records as captured in the Votes and Proceedings and accused the Clerk of deliberately manipulating attendance of the day in question in order to legitimize approval of the E-levy.
The Caucus had explained after what appeared a bizarre walkout that, the Majority did not have the numbers to form a quorum to vote and approve the levy per interpretation of the Supreme Court.
The House was thrown into turmoil on Thursday, March 31, 2022, during the correction of the Votes and Proceedings when the Minority lamented how its members who were visibly present in the Chamber on Tuesday were captured as absent.
The record, they said, has reflected very poorly on the Minority members who are now being questioned and in some cases attacked by constituents.
Speaker Bagbin acknowledged the members recorded absent were indeed present and even invited to participate in the proceedings of the House.
He said, “This is a grievous error but being the Speaker and being the one having the ultimate responsibility, I will take responsibility and apologize sincerely to the members for this.”
He, however, expressed displeasure the clerk is being accused of partisanship in the discharge of his duties and urged those making the accusation to bring forward their evidence if they have any.
He said, “I will plead with you that whatever our suspicions, let them remain suspicions. If you have evidence you have the right to go anywhere and produce it.”
“We know what to do when we get to know he is partisan because it’s against the law. If you have evidence about the partisanship of any of the staff here draw my attention.”
“We’ll put a process in place, we’ll investigate them and definitely they will not be here.”
Speaker Bagbin then disclosed there are such cases pending before the Parliamentary Service Board, which will take disciplinary action on the staff found culpable.
Source: Mypublisher24.com