Some minority members of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) in parliament yesterday defied the orders of the speaker, Prof Mike Oquaye, and continuously derided him amidst strong protests when he ruled that the house had approved the Legal Profession (Professional and Post-Call Law Course) Regulations 2018 (L.I. 2355), through the voice vote.
After a combative debate on the floor of the house during which many of the minority and some majority members openly opposed the passage of the L.I., the speaker put the ‘voice vote’ for the approval of the L.I. 2355; and there was obviously a huge ‘no’ voice votes as against the ‘yes,’ but the speaker ruled in favour of the ‘yes’ votes.
This generated strong protest from majority of the minority members amidst singing of “God help us to resist oppressors’ rule.”
The minority chief whip, Mohammed Muburak Muntaka, wanted to challenge the ruling of the speaker and call for a head count or a secret voting with names of MPs indicating where they had voted, but the speaker did not recognize him.
Some of the minority members, including the chairman of the Subsidiary Legislation Committee and NDC MP for Bawku Central, Mahama Ayariga, and MP for Pru East, Dr Kwabena Donkor, had spoken in favour of the motion to pass the L.I. They argued strongly that there was the need for the L.I. to be passed as an interim measure as the government had indicated its intention to bring two new bills to permanently address the issue of expanding infrastructure in the law school.
The majority chief whip and New Patriotic Party (NPP) MP for Sunyani East, Kwasi Ameyaw-Cheremeh; the chairman of the Constitutional, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs and MP for Offinso South, Ben Abdallah Banda; MP for Suhum, Frederick Opare-Ansah and the majority leader, Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, also spoke in favour of the motion, arguing that the introduction of the L.I 2355 was an interim measure to allow the Ghana School of Law to be able to admit students for the 2018/2019 academic year.
The majority leader said that in addition to the continuity of academic the year, the new L.I. would ensure that best qualified students are admitted to the Ghana School of Law.
The ranking member of the Constitutional, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs and NDC MP for Tamale Central, Inusah Fuseini, and deputy ranking member and MP for Bolgatanga East, Dr Dominic Ayine, as well as Mohammed Mubarak Muntaka, had passionately objected to the passage of the new L.I. and called on fellow members of the house to reject it outright since it is illegal and unconstitutional.
Now that the new LI has been passed, students seeking admission into the school will have to write entrance examination.
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