Speaker Does Not Respond To NDC MPs’ Greetings – Edward Bawa

The Member of Parliament for Bongo, Edward Bawa has accused the Speaker of Parliament Rt. Hon. Prof. Mike Oquaye of being high-handed especially against the Minority in Parliament in the discharge of his duties.

According to him, the Speaker has since assuming his position been using his own set of rules and also uses his personal interest to determine the manner he presides over the House.

The Minority NDC Caucus in Parliament has been very critical of the Speaker’s conduct against the group, which led to them embarking on a sit-down strike in what they termed protest against the Speaker for being partial against their course.

It all started when the Minority Leader, Haruna Iddrisu, rose up with the intent of catching the eye of the Speaker to make an intervention during a presentation to the House by the Deputy Minister for Agriculture, Kennedy Ohene Nyarko.

But the Leader was ignored by the Speaker, paving the way for the Deputy Minister for Agriculture to conclude his presentation, with the Speaker, also giving the floor to the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey, to make a statement on the alleged slave trade of Africans in Libya.

This compelled the Minority NDC Caucus to embark on a sit-down strike in protest against the Speaker for being partial to them.

But the Speaker, on Thursday insisted he’s been impartial in all his deliberations.

However speaking on Starr FM Friday, Hon. Edward Bawa who’s also a former Spokesperson for the Ministry of Energy stated that the Speaker’s dislike for the NDC Minority has gotten to an absurd state such the Speaker sometimes does not respond to greeting from Minority Members who take a position on matters that opposes the Speaker’s view.

 “Quote me everywhere, if you get up and make a case that Mr Speaker is not happy about and you see him outside and greet him he’ll not answer. You have a situation where even the Minority Leader will get up to make a point, he makes a point and goes out and says Mr Speaker…he’ll not shake him.
“You also have a situation where when MPs make statements and he’s not excited he then decide that he’ll never call you. The MP for Bodi, Sampson Ahi, when he gets up, he’ll never be called.”