The persistent absence of members of the Majority Caucus on the floor of Parliament has become a major drawback to the smooth conduct of government business in the House, the Minority Caucus has stated.
“The 189 super Majority of the NDC can form a quorum on their own, have enough members to conduct business and enough members to take most fundamental decisions, yet they do not come to Parliament,” the Minority Caucus said.
These concerns were raised at the commencement of public business on the floor of Parliament last Thursday after the First Deputy Minority Whip, Habib Iddrisu, for the second consecutive time, raised an issue with the lack of quorum for the House to proceed with business.
He rose to his feet to draw the Speaker’s attention to Article 102 of the Constitution, which states that “A quorum of Parliament, apart from the person presiding, shall be one-third of all the members of Parliament”.
The Talon MP urged the Speaker to apply the rules of the Constitution, which required that the House have a quorum.
Super majority
Contributing, the MP for Damango, Samuel Abu Jinapor, recalled how the Speaker admonished members last Wednesday to take their duties seriously.
He recalled how the Speaker published the names of 28 MPs who missed parliamentary business for a certain number of days.
“The Ghanaian people queued and stood in the sun on December 7 last year and gave the 189 NDC MPs an extraordinary mandate because they want President Mahama’s business and agenda to go through this House without any hindrance,” he said.
Propaganda
Countering the Minority’s argument, the Majority Chief Whip, Rockson-Nelson Dafeamekpor, said Article 102 was given effect in Order 64 of the Standing Orders.
He said that the Order provided the Speaker the opportunity to ascertain the veracity of the basis for raising a lack of quorum within the premise of Article 102.
He, therefore, urged the Speaker to direct the Clerks at Table to cause the bell to be rung while the Speaker continued the business of the House for a period of 10 minutes.
Mr Dafeamekpor also urged the Speaker to direct the Clerk to conduct a headcount of members present, and if there was still no quorum, he could suspend the sitting of the House for a period of no more than one hour.
He said contrary to the laid-down arrangement that committee businesses should be done in the morning for members to join the plenary at 2 p.m., it had been discovered that committee leaders were allowing meetings to be done in the afternoon.
He, therefore, implored committee chairpersons to conduct committee business from 9 a.m. up to mid-day.
