|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
The Majority Leader Mahama Ayariga on Wednesday defended parliament’s decision to hold a briefing with the Bank of Ghana governor behind closed doors, accusing the opposition of prioritizing media coverage over accountability.
Speaking to journalists after the Minority caucus walked out of proceedings, Ayariga said the demand for a public session contradicted parliament’s Standing Orders.
“If you read our Standing Orders, it says in Order 266 that meetings of committees shall be held in public except otherwise determined by the committee,” Ayariga said.
“I asked them to convince the entire committee to sit in public. But if you don’t convince the committee to agree to sit in public, you cannot force a committee to sit in public.”
The disagreement occurred during a Committee of the Whole sitting when First Deputy Speaker Bernard Ahiafor ruled that the briefing with BoG Governor Johnson Asiama would not be open to the media.
The Minority objected and suspended its participation before walking out. It cited a previous instance when a BoG governor appeared publicly before parliament.
Ayariga dismissed claims that Asiama was avoiding scrutiny. He said the governor had prepared answers to lawmakers’ questions and was willing to release the information to the press.
“If the Minority’s priority was accountability, its members would have remained in the chamber to engage the Governor,” he said, adding that their actions showed they were “more interested in the media optics” than in answers from the central bank chief.
He also urged lawmakers to follow parliamentary procedure rather than individual preferences.
“If you want to do that, you have to approach us, you have to work with us, and we will all agree that this is how we are going to do it,” Ayariga said.
The walkout is the latest clash between the Majority and Minority over transparency in parliamentary engagements with independent constitutional bodies.
Asaase 99.5 Accra, Asaase 98.5 Kumasi, Asaase 100.3 Cape Coast, AsaasePa 107.3 (Accra)
Affiliates: Bawku FM 101.5, Bead FM 99.9 (Bimbilla), Mining City Radio 89.5 (Tarkwa), Nandom FM 101.9, Nyatefe Radio 94.5 (Dzodze), Sissala Radio 96.3 (Tumu), Somuaa FM 89.9 (Gushegu), Stone City 90.7 (Ho) and Wale FM 106.9 (Walewale)
Listen online: asaaseradio.com, Sound Garden and TuneIn
Follow us:
X: @asaaseradio995, @Asaase985ksi, @asaase1003, asaasepa1073
Instagram: asaaseradio99.5, asaase985ksi, asaase100.3, asaasepa107.3
LinkedIn: company/asaaseradio995. TikTok: @asaaseradio99.5
Facebook: asaase99.5, asaase985ksi, Asaase100.3, AsaasePa107.3
YouTube: AsaaseRadioXtra
Join the conversation. Accra: call 020 000 9951/050 009 0121, WhatsApp 020 000 0995. Kumasi: call 059 415 7985 or call/WhatsApp 020 631 5260. Cape Coast: call/WhatsApp 059 388 2652.
#AsaaseRadio
#AsaasePa
#TheVoiceofOurLand
