Majority leader Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu has described the free-for-all fight in Parliament on Monday over the Electronic Transaction (E-Levy) Bill as very shameful and an embarrassing moment for Ghana’s legislature, virtually blaming the Speaker for the objectionable episode.
“I think all of us in Parliament must bow down our heads in shame for this gross dereliction of responsibility and must apologise to the people that we represent in Parliament,” he said.
Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu stated these yesterday after parliament adjourned sine die without approving the Bill.
He expressed displeasure at the absence of the Speaker for the sitting and cautioned one person cannot be allowed to hold the House to ransom.
According to him, leadership had an indication that the Speaker will join the House at 9:00 am but the time kept changing with another excuse being received at 11:30 am that he would join the House at 12:00 pm.
“The House cannot be held to ransom by one person and I think it’s most unfortunate. The Speaker yesterday (Monday) told the First Deputy Speaker that he was handing over to him, and will come back to relieve him but we heard later that he had left the House,” he disclosed.
Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu also denied claims that the Majority dragged its feet in bringing business to the floor on Monday and explained a Finance Committee meeting delayed the beginning of sitting.
According to him, when the House eventually resumed the Speaker handed over to the First Deputy Speaker with the assurance, he would return to relieve but departed without any communication.
Mr. Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu said it was as a result of this that the House adjourned to Tuesday morning with the hope Speaker Alban Bagbin will take his chair but he failed to show up again.
He gave assurance that government has a budget contrary to speculation and the Appropriation Bill has also been passed.
Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu indicated the E-levy is an integral part of the budget and going to feed into the revenue considerations of the government with an expectation it will contribute about GH¢9 billion to government chest.
Fight over E-levy
The E-levy Bill was the subject of the huge fight on the floor of the House on Monday, compelling the Second Deputy Speaker who presided over the sitting to adjourn to the following day.
The House, however, failed to conduct business yesterday after the Majority leader and leader of government business, Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, moved for adjournment just after correction of the Votes and Proceedings.
The House is expected to resume on 18th January 2021 to resume deliberation on the E-levy.
Minority Leader
Meanwhile, Minority leader Haruna Iddrisu has urged the government to accept Ghanaians voted for a hung-Parliament in order to deepen consultation and reach out to the other side of the Ghanaian population who don’t want excessive partisanship.
Speaking on E-levy, the Minority leader stated President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo does not understand the taxes his government is introducing.
MTN, he said, charges on fees and not transactions and stressed there is a mark of difference between charges and levies on fees, and charges and levies on transactions.
According to him, the E-levy is rather going to make MTN richer considering the fact that Vodafone does not even charge fees on its network.
“This is a windfall for them because they will shift away from charging fees, which are limited as ratios of money.”
He averred that Parliament is not about the Majority and indicated the Minority is happy with the current composition of the House because the side is no longer going to do business as Minority.
Bagbin Abandons Parliament
Majority Leader Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu has revealed that the Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin was not responding to calls
and messages after absenting himself from Parliament on Monday.
The Speaker was nowhere to be found as Parliament had intended to vote for the passage of the controversial E-levy bill.
Speaking to JoyNews, the Majority Leader disclosed that all efforts to get to the Speaker has proven futile.
“I called him a couple of times, but I couldn’t reach him and I sent a message including WhatsApp messages but I have not had any response,” Osei
Kyei-Mensah Bonsu stated.
However, the Majority believed that the move from Alban Bagbin, was an attempt to reduce the 138 Majority as the First Deputy Speaker, Joseph Osei
Owusu popularly referred to as ‘Joe Wise’, will have to step in for him.
This would have made the majority have an equal number with the 137 minority.
However, Mr Osei-Owusu vacated his chair for Second Deputy Speaker to take over in order to vote but the minority disagreed and charged unto the speaker’s podium to seize his chair.
The Minority had earlier contended that per parliament’s standing orders, the Speaker of Parliament did not have an original vote when he was presiding but Joe Wise disagreed.
In the process, the Minority clashed with the Majority with members of both sides exchanging blows.
