<<Print>>

Former Minister for Central Region, Kwamena Duncan, has made a subtle call for the removal of the Speaker of Parliament, Rt. Hon. Alban Kingsford Sumana Bagbin.

Kwamena Duncan seemingly wants the Speaker removed over his remarks about the Supreme Court following its decision on the Deputy Speakers' ''right to vote'' dispute in Parliament.

The Supreme Court, on Wednesday, March 9, settled the dispute in a ruling unanimously stating that a "Deputy Speaker is entitled to be counted as a Member of Parliament for quorum" and can "vote and take part in the decision of Parliament".

But the Speaker, in a reply, described the court ruling as ''reckless'' and also took shots at President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo for supporting the Supreme Court.

Issuing a statement on the matter, Mr. Bagbin said; ''I have resisted the temptation of making a comment on the judgment of the Supreme Court on the issue of the voting rights of Deputy Speakers when presiding. But the unfortunate and myopic comment of the President has compelled me to let it out. The SC decision, is to say the least, not only an absurdity but a reckless incursion into the remit of Parliament."

''The trend of unanimity is equally troubling. It doesn’t help explore and expand our legal jurisprudence. The President’s comment is myopic and unfortunate. It only goes to worsen the schism between the Executive and Parliament.''

Hon. Kwamena Duncan, contributing to Peace FM's morning programme ''Kokrokoo'', found Mr. Bagbin's statements very offensive and unbefitting of a Speaker of Parliament.

To him, ''elsewhere, this will be the basis for the Speaker to be removed from office...To describe the job that a constitutional body has done as reckless, in fact, it is not that ordinary constitutional body; it's one arm of government when you have not even apprised yourself with whatever has been given out there and you describe the ruling and in fact, what he has done, he has put the entire Supreme Court in this bad light. That is the Speaker, a Speaker of Parliament. But is there any surprise here? That's the Speaker who is presiding over a Parliament that has been turned into a boxing arena''.