Parliament was thrown into turmoil on Wednesday when the Minority Caucus staged a walkout, accusing First Deputy Speaker Bernard Ahiafor of frustrating their efforts to hold Ministers accountable.
The controversy began when Minority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin asked the Communications Minister about the planned re-registration of SIM cards. When he attempted to ask a follow-up question on whether the process was following proper procurement procedures, the Deputy Speaker disallowed it, ruling that the question deviated from the original one.
The walkout was not a spontaneous act, according to Afenyo-Markin, but the culmination of months of frustration with the First Deputy Speaker's behavior. "We've tolerated the first deputy speaker for quite some time," he said. However, he confirmed that the Minority would return to the chamber to continue other business. The MP said the decision to stage a walkout was a deliberate one, aimed at highlighting what they see as a pattern of behavior by the Deputy Speaker.
The Minority Leader accused Ahiafor of using parliamentary rules to intimidate and frustrate backbenchers. "We have observed that the First Deputy Speaker has a way of using the rules to stampede parliamentary oversight," he said. "You've all observed that he started an attack on our backbenchers, any time our backbenchers were on the floor. He will use the rules to frustrate them." Afenyo-Markin insisted that his question was in the public interest, and that it was legitimate to ask about the cost of the SIM registration process.
The rules under Order 89.1, which allow members to ask supplementary questions anchored on a Minister's answer for clarification, were cited by Afenyo-Markin as evidence that the Deputy Speaker's ruling was unjustified. "The rules under 89.1 allows you to anchor your supplementary question on an answer given by the minister for the purpose of clarification," he said. "The rules are not meant to be used to intimidate, frustrate, and bring parliament to a standstill." The Minority Leader also claimed that even the Majority Leader disagreed with the Deputy Speaker's ruling, but did not provide further details on this point.
The Minority's walkout has sparked controversy in Parliament, with some questioning the decision to stage a protest. However, the Minority Caucus remains resolute in their opposition to what they see as Ahiafor's heavy-handed approach to parliamentary oversight. The Minority will return to the chamber to continue other business, but it remains to be seen whether the controversy will continue to simmer in the background or whether it will boil over into further protests and walkouts.
Source: JOY
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