The Majority New Patriotic Party (NPP) in Parliament has accused the Minority National Democratic Congress (NDC) of fishing for evidence to support its case at the Supreme Court on passage of the Electronic Transfer Levy (E-Levy) Bill.
According to the Majority Caucus, the Minority rushed to court unprepared and have now ‘returned to the House to insert evidence’ into the Hansard to present to the apex court by blaming the Clerk.
Deputy Majority leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin made the accusation last Friday when the Minority raised objection to records in the Votes and Proceedings of Thursday, March 29, that captured some of its members as absent during debate on the controversial Electronic Transfer Transaction (E-Levy) Bill, which has since been passed into Law.
The document also failed to record the walkout of the Minority who claimed it was a deliberate plot by the Clerk in cahoots with the Majority Caucus, to omit evidence from official records of the House, of what transpired in the Parliamentary Chamber on the day in question.
Minority leader Haruna Iddrisu and two members of his side subsequently filed a suit at the Supreme Court, challenging the approval of the E-levy Bill and seeking its nullification.
However, Mr. Afenyo-Markin argued his side “has read between the lines and will not fall to the chicanery of the Minority.
“You’ve rushed to court and you are now looking for evidence so that the Hansard will be called for your defence.
“Mr. Speaker we are reading between the lines… You rushed to court and now you are blaming the Clerk and blaming everybody looking for evidence.”
According to him, attempts to confuse the Supreme Court by making reference to what happened last November when the House rejected the 2022 Budget after the Majority had staged a walkout will not stick because the events are not the same.
“Let the record reflect so that we will meet you there; We’ll join the action if that is where you want us to go,” he stated.
The Deputy Majority leader expressed surprise at the attempt to single out the Clerk to Parliament for blame and argued that the Votes and Proceedings was signed by both the Clerk and Mr. Speaker.
“They should not attempt to indict Mr. Speaker because that is what they are doing now. They’re trying to indict you and the Clerk because what we have here has your name that you’ve produced it.
“It is not Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, it is not Haruna Iddrisu but the Clerk and the Rt Hon. Speaker, the head of this Parliament.”
Mr. Afenyo-Markin questioned if the Minority is attempting to undermine Parliament and the authority of the Speaker in order to have the Supreme Court rule in a certain way.
