General Secretary of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Johnson Asiedu Nketia, has accused the Majority New Patriotic Party (NPP) in Parliament of plot to rig voting on the Motion to approve the 2022 Budget on Friday.
The NPP, he said, has a penchant for rigging elections and hoped to use the non-MP Ministers in the Parliamentary Chamber to swell its numbers.
According to him, the division requested by the Majority comes with its rules that required all persons who cannot participate in the voting to be cleared from the Chamber and lobbies.
Speaking in an interview on Friday following rejection of the budget, Mr. Asiedu Nketia noted the complaint of the Majority about those in the public and press galleries is inconsequential.
He averred that whatever is happening on the floor does not affect those in the public gallery and argued no law can push anyone out of the public gallery except when Parliament decides to hold a closed sitting.
He said, “In this case, Parliament was not sitting in camera and the entire proceeding of the House was being telecast live for people who are even outside the jurisdiction to follow.”
“So what prevents Asiedu Nketia from following the debate if I decide to come and sit in the public gallery?”
“And the second condition based upon which anybody can be walked out of the public or press gallery is when the person is conducting himself in an un-parliamentary manner that may comprise the work of Parliament.”
“I was sitting there observing and even as they were shouting and pointing at me, I was at peace. I never responded because I was enjoying what they were doing.”
“So if they walked out, they walked away,” he added.
He noted the non-MP Ministers including the Finance Minister can participate in the business of the House but when it comes to voting and the Speaker suspects their presence will compromise the process in one way the other, it is appropriate to walk them out.
Source: Mypublisher24.com/Osumanu Al-Hassan