Only Majority front bench attended Thursday’s sitting of Parliament

Only the front bench of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Parliamentary Majority were in attendance during the House’s sitting on Thursday, November 30.

Those who were in attendance included Mr Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, the Majority Leader and Leader of Government Business in Parliament and his Deputy Mr Alexander Kwamina Afenyo-Markin.

The rest were Mr Frank Annoh-Dompreh, the Majority Chief Whip and his Deputy, Mr Habib Iddrisu.

The National Democratic Congress (NDC) Parliamentary Minority who were in attendance in their numbers for the approval of the 2024 Budget Statement and Economic Policy of the Government, questioned the Majority Leader why his back was empty.

Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu said Members on his side of the House were absent from the Chamber because they were considering the Budget Estimates.

Speaker Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin noted that the Majority Members of Parliament (MPs) who were absent from the Chamber on Thursday did not take permission from him.

It would be recalled that at the end of the debate on the Budget on Wednesday, November 29, when the Speaker put the question for its approval by a voice vote on two occasions, he expressed his opinion that “I think the ayes have it”.

This brought Mr Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, the Deputy Minority Leader, to his feet to challenge the Speaker’s decision.

He then went further to appeal to the Speaker to request a head count.

This was objected to by the Majority Leader and his Deputy.

Following the Speaker’s ruling on Wednesday, November 29, that a head count be conducted for the approval of the 2024 Budget using names of individual Members of the House present in the Chamber, the Majority Caucus of the House staged a walkout.

Source: GNA