The Minority Leader, Haruna Iddrisu, says today (Tuesday 30 November 2021) has been a dark day for Ghana’s constitutional and parliamentary practice, “a dark day because those seeking to govern are seeking to approbate and reprobate at the same time”.
Iddrisu’s comment comes after Parliament today quashed an earlier rejection of the government’s 2022 Budget Statement and Economic Policy and voted to approve it.
The First Deputy Speaker, Joseph Osei-Owusu, who presided over today’s sitting, said the decision rejecting the Budget, taken by the House on Friday 26 November, is not valid, because it did not satisfy the Standing Orders provision which stipulates that one-half of all members must be present in the chamber for such a decision to be taken.
Osei-Owusu explained that his presence in the chamber today brought the total number to 138, big enough to take a decision, because he is also a sitting MP.
Minority boycotts
The Minority boycotted today’s sitting. Osei-Owusu explained that not all 138 members present were mandated to support a motion but a majority of those present could ensure its passage.
The Majority side had earlier accused the Speaker of the House, Alban Bagbin, of acting in breach of the 1992 constitution after he claimed the Budget had been rejected, because 137 MPs had decided thus. They described the action as falling short of the constitutional requirement that 138 MPs be present in the House before a decision can be made.
Today’s sitting was delayed by hours of conferring in private between the Majority and Minority leadership, intended to explore how to cure the unconstitutionality committed by Speaker Bagbin and the 137 MPs.
On a motion by the Majority Leader, Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, and a vote by the House, the Speaker ruled that the decision was in error and in violation of Article 104 (1), and caused it to be expunged from the record.
Parliament proceeded to consider the motion on the Budget properly and approved it.
The House will consider the Budget estimates in the coming weeks for specific sectors of the economy before the Appropriation Bill is passed to give the government the green light to spend according to monies appropriated in the Budget.
The Minister for Finance, Ken Ofori-Atta, winding up the debate, highlighted how the government will accommodate concerns raised by the Minority relating to the approval of estimates, revenue bills and appropriation.
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