The Majority in Parliament has described as appropriate, a ruling by First Deputy Speaker Joseph Osei-Owusu that rejected a Private Members’ Motion by the Minority to investigate COVId-19 expenditures.
Deputy Majority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin pointed out that it was the duty of the Auditor-General as provided under Article 187 of the Constitution of Ghana to audit all public finances.
According to him, the majority group was not against accountability and transparency but stressed the position of his side was for the House to respect due process as enshrined by the framers of the Constitution.
Three members of the minority led by their leader Haruna Iddrisu, Alhaji Mohammed-Mubarak Muntaka and Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson tabled a Private Members’ Motion seeking the House to constitute a bi-partisan Parliamentary Committee chaired by a member of the Minority Caucus to enquire into the expenditures made by the Government in relation to COVID-19 since the outbreak of the pandemic.
However, the Majority caucus raised an objection to the Motion and the Deputy Speaker in his ruling indicated by Order 191, the Public Accounts Committee is clothed with the authority to investigate the matter hence Parliament need not Constitute a bi-partisan committee for the same purse.
Addressing the media afterwards, MP for Effutu Afenyo-Markin said, “We must allow the Auditor-General to complete his work. The report would be the property of Parliament. When that report comes, the Public Accounts Committee will have the opportunity to look at the report and following from that, if there is any matter to be considered subsequently, the House can look at it; even so, the house will look at it in accordance with Order 191.”
“Because Order 191 is clear that the matter to be considered should to be something that none of the Select Committees has the mandate to look at.”
The Deputy Majority Leader argued there is no way the government can spend public funds and hide the expenditure and stressed the Auditor-General will look into all government expenditure including the COVID-19 funds.
According to him, Government does not prepare special accounts that separate accounts for COVID-19 related expenses.
“Government of Ghana has a total list of expenditure. So in the annual report, everything done in the year will be reported so COVID-19 will be an item on this expenditure list.”
Minority disagrees
The Minority, however, argued the First Deputy Speaker’s ruling has thrown the quest and desire of the Ghanaian people for an open, transparent and accountable government to the dogs.
Minority leader Haruna Iddrisu warned the precedent that is being set is a worry for the future of Ghana’s democracy and for the future of any Parliamentary Committee that will seek to enquire into any matter of public interest under Article 1033 of the Constitution.
“Our motion was a very simple one admitted by the Speaker and this means by the Deputy Speaker; interesting times ahead in Ghana.
“So you see sometimes what invite chaos into the chamber. A motion admitted and advertised over a month by the Speaker, and a Deputy Speaker presiding to serve nothing but a narrow partisan interest even after the motion is moved and seconded, dismisses the Motion that it ought not to have been admitted.
“I hope that he is not impugning the authority and integrity of the speaker,” he added.
The Minority, he said, is demanding transparency and accountability in the utilization of the COVID resources because neither the Finance Minister nor the Health Minister has adequately accounted for the COVID expenditures.
