Asiedu Nketiah ‘mistakenly’ exposes ‘palace dictator’ behind removal of Haruna and Muntaka Mubarak

National Chairman of the Opposition National Democratic Congress NDC has exposed Speaker of Parliament Alban Bagbin for being the reason for the removal of Minority Leader Haruna Iddrisu and Chief Whip Muntaka Mubarak.

The Minority leadership bench have been engaged in a media war with the Speaker with the Chief Whip, Mohammed-Mubarak Muntaka, Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, a “tyrant” running parliament like a palace.

The accusations against the speaker was heightened even after the speaker abandoned the speakers’ robe worn by his predecessors to adopt traditional rulers’ attire.

Asiedu Nketiah who was addressing the NDC UK branch revealed the two leaders (Muntaka and Haruna) were removed for not “cooperating” with the speaker who is also a member of NDC whereas NPP leaders cooperated with him.

Mr Asiedu Nketiah said his priorities as national chairman of the NDC was to see the NDC parliamentary caucus working together and also cooperating with the Speaker of Parliament.

“Why did we struggle to get an NDC person elected as a Speaker of Parliament. There are certainly some advantages and those advantages can be tapped into when your leadership is cooperating with the Speaker. So we cannot have a situation where NPP leadership is cooperating with the Speaker, and our NDC leadership have challenges cooperating with the Speaker.”

“And if you are given a party whose leadership in Parliament is not working together, what will you do, you make the changes or you resign, and I’m not about to resign,” Mr Asiedu Nketiah said at the UK.

Dictator

In an interview months before his removal, Muntaka said the Speaker was gradually turning the parliamentary chamber into a palace by increasingly becoming intolerant to disagreement.

“I am sorry to say this. When you want to turn the Chamber of Parliament into a palace, then you become a tyrant. He is becoming a tyrant. You are not a chief; you are supposed to be the Speaker of Parliament, and a Speaker listens to both sides patiently even where there is a disagreement, and that is the essence of democracy, to sometimes even agree to disagree,” he stated on Accra-based Joy News. Restreamed by MyNewsGh.com.

Muntaka Mubarak continued, “But when you personalise it and make it to look as if a disagreement is a disrespect to you or is an affront to you or it’s like denigrating you, then I’m sorry, you will be a bad Speaker.”

The Minority Chief Whip was expressing his disappointment with the setting up of an ad-hoc committee that investigated the issues contained in the censure motion against Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta.

He had openly demonstrated his disagreement with the Speaker on the floor of the House by exchanging words with him during the setting up of the committee.

Muntaka said even though Mr. Bagbin remains his favourite Speaker, his predecessor, Prof. Mike Aaron Oquaye was better at building consensus during his tenure.

He described the ad-hoc committee set up to investigate issues in the censure motion as a kangaroo committee, suggesting that it was an unnecessary process.

The NDC MP said the Standing Orders of Parliament does not allow the Speaker to create an ad-hoc committee when a member of the House has not proposed so.

“That committee was not necessary. Our Standing Orders are very clear and I encourage you to read 106 of our Standing Orders. It is a member who would say that maybe where we have reached in the debate, can we set up a committee to look at the details and report, not for a Speaker to unilaterally refer the thing to a committee and set up a committee to do that,” he stressed.

He intimated that such a proposal could have come from a member of the Majority Caucus, adding, “As at the time when the decision was taken, we were 135 and they were 77.”

“So, if any member on their side had moved for such a committee to be set up, it would have been defeated because it would have been a decision of the House where we’ll vote,” he asserted.

Muntaka said, “And probably, in my view, it was the reason that kind of kangaroo method was used. And I continue to call it kangaroo because in Order 6 where the Standing Order is not explicitly clear, then the Speaker’s discretion can come in.”