The Member of Parliament for Dormaa East, Paul Apraku Twum Barimah has described the petition filed by Ras Mubarak, an NDC party official requesting the speaker of Parliament to sermon some members of Parliament before the privileges committee as frivolous and thus urged the speaker of parliament, Alban Bagbin to disregard it.
According to Paul Twum Barimah , Ras Mubarak who is not a Member of Parliament cannot dictate to parliament and decide when Parliament should sermon MPS to the privileges committee .
He said the MPs mentioned by Ras Mubarak have been appearing in the August House except Sarah Adwoa Sarfo who is dealing with some health issues, which Parliament is aware.
The Dormaa East MP has therefore urged the Speaker of Parliament, Alban Sumana Bagbin to ignore the petition.
His comment comes in reaction to a petition filed by former MP for Kumbungu, Ras Mubarak, to the Office of the Speaker of Parliament to refer four legislators to the Privileges Committee for absenting themselves for more than 15 sittings in the House without permission.
They are Dome-Kwabenya MP, Sarah Adwoa Safo; Ayawaso Central MP, Henry Quartey; Ebenezer Kojo Kum, MP for Ahanta West; and Ken Ohene Agyapong, MP for Assin Central. Mr Twum-Barimah noted that the Speaker must not hasten to react to the petition filed.
According to him, the Speaker must first establish the rationale behind the alleged absence of the legislators in question. “I don’t think it is something that you can say you should refer. Because clearly, you may have to establish what (the issue is). You cannot just come and say that somebody has not been in Parliament for 15 sittings. “It is Privileges Committee to determine that. So we don’t need to take any decision now but allow the Privileges Committee or the Speaker, whether he wants to refer or not. I’m sure the Speaker also wants to satisfy himself whether what has been put before him is worthy for him to refer. So I will urge the Speaker not to haste on taken such a decision and I do not think he will do that.”
“I think he should engage the so-called petitioner and the people he has mentioned to ascertain modalities first,” he further advised.
Mr Twum-Barimah argued that it is premature to state that his colleagues being accused of absenteeism have breached the Constitution and Standing Orders of the House as alleged by the petitioner, Mr Ras Mubarak.
“You cannot be quick to say they are breaching the law. We must establish the fundamental principle before we say that. So you cannot at this juncture say whatever my colleague who is from the outside trying to tell us what is happening inside is accurate.”
In his petition, Mr Ras Mubarak stated that “It has come to my notice through Parliament’s Hansard, and newspaper and radio reports that some four MPs, namely Sarah Adwoa Safo, MP for Dome-Kwabenya; Henry Quartey, MP for Ayawaso Central; Ebenezer Kojo Kum, MP for Ahanta West; and Ken Ohene Agyapong, MP for Assin Central have all absented themselves from Parliament for more than fifteen sittings of a meeting of Parliament without the permission of Mr. Speaker in writing.
In view of this reported breach of the constitutional provision, I respectfully petition your high office to direct for their conduct to be referred to the Privileges Committee for consideration and necessary action.”
