The Minority Caucus in Parliament has sworn to exhaust all processes to challenge the denial of a motion to overturn the ruling of the First Deputy Speaker, Joseph Osei-Owusu, in relation to the 2022 Budget Statement and Economic Policy of the government.
The Caucus said it will wait for the return of Speaker Alban Sumana Bagbin and use all avenues available to get a ruling on the issue.
Addressing journalists in Parliament House yesterday, Minority Chief Whip, Alhaji Mohammed Mubarak Muntaka said if the Speaker affirms the actions of his First Deputy, the Caucus will accept the ruling and forget about the issue.
“When Mr Speaker returns we will exploit it. If Mr Speaker says that what he has done is right, it becomes part of the rules of the House…We want to exhaust all the process so that we are clear in our minds that this is how the Speaker of the House chooses to operate when it comes to the decision of the House, while he is seated.”
It would be recalled that the First Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Joseph Osei-Owusu dismissed a motion filed by the Minority Leader, Haruna Iddrisu, to challenge his ruling on the approval of the 2022 Budget Statement and Economic Policy of Government for the year ending December 31.
Mr Iddrisu, MP for Tamale South, sought to, by a motion overturn the approval of the budget by the House, constituted by the Majority caucus alone.
The budget was earlier rejected by the House, presided over by Speaker Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin after the Majority caucus staged a walk-out in the middle of proceedings on November 26, but was later approved by the Majority caucus with the First Deputy Speaker in the chair.
Haruna Iddrisu, therefore, filed the motion to overturn the house’s budget approval. The motion was debated during sitting on December 1, but was dismissed by the First Deputy Speaker, a ruling the Minority Leader said was in contrast to the rules of the House.
According to the Minority, the Speaker’s refusal to admit the motion “contravenes the Rules, Conventions and Practices of the House”.
The Minority Chief Whip said yesterday that the First Deputy Speaker’s decision was very unfair, constitutes an abuse of office and not mindful of Article 296, which entreats all public officers to exercise discretion and not be capricious in the discharge of their duties.
Alhaji Muntaka said the Minority was hoping that the Deputy Speaker will take the opportunity to correct the behavior the Minority considers wrong, but he hasn’t done so until now, hence every avenue is going to explored to see to the conclusion of the issue.
He said that the reason the Minority is pursuing this to its logical conclusion was because ” In parliament , if you allow things to stay , they become precedents. So we have to exhaust all avenues there is to this situation”.
He indicated to those saying the Minority is trying to obstruct government business that the intention of the Minority is not to obstruct government business and all they are seeking to do is to ensure the right thing is done.
“We will not stand in the way of government trying to do what is right. The only thing that we will keep standing against is that you will not abuse the process, you will not jump the process, you will not go unaccounted for, you will not do as you wish, you will do as the constitution and our story standing orders demand.”
He said that currently the Minority side of the house is co-operating very well in the on-going budget estimations for the various ministries, departments and agencies and will continue to do so.
