
Dr. Nana Ayew Afriye
The Member of Parliament for Effiduase-Asokore, Dr. Nana Ayew Afriye, has described the recent comments by Speaker S. K Bagbin on President Nana Akufo-Addo and the Judiciary as “shameful and based on emotions without recourse to extensive research on parliamentary practices elsewhere”.
The Speaker asserted that the President’s stand on the recent Supreme Court ruling on the Deputy Speakers’ voting eligibility “was myopic and unfortunate”.
“Ghana is a member of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA), and all over the Commonwealth, of which Ghana is a member, I came across a very interesting trend. Based on continental and regional location, in Australia, the Speaker is an MP and has a casting vote. Section 44 of the Australian constitution maintains the casting vote. South Africa has a speaker who is an MP with a casting vote… Nigeria has Speaker MP and with a casting vote,” the MP said in an article.
According to him, Nigeria’s constitution, Article 75 a (i), and UK Speaker Addington have explained why speakers should have a vote, especially where there is a tie. He recalled that John Bercow used casting vote to block Brexit…after the tie vote of 310 each to the left and 310 to the right.
“In UK, the speaker is an MP and has a casting vote. India also has an MP Speaker with a casting vote… In Canada, the Speaker is an MP and has casting vote (when there is a tie), Section 49 of the constitution Act (BNA Act), 1867,” he said.
Authority
He stressed that per Erskine May, the foremost authority on parliamentary procedures and practices in the world, that casting vote by a speaker allows for debate to continue, otherwise a motion is stalled and Parliament makes no headway.
Dr Ayew Afriyie had a piece of advice for Mr Bagbin. “Mr Speaker, please don’t insult. Let’s apply ourselves to the wisdom of common practice and precedence. If we you were guided by Erskine May, then, probably, you wouldn’t have occasioned this needless write up”.
In his opinion, the Speaker must separate “his political self” from the parliamentary administrative process. “This is because while all previous speakers had their political inclination, they did a good job trying not to politicise the parliamentary administrative processes or openly confronting the Executive, who also wears a political shoe in the context in which he was talking,” he wrote.
Precedents
Dr Ayew Afriyie also pointed out that during the tenure of Prof Mike Oquaye, the 1st deputy speaker performed some delegated administrative responsibilities when he was absent.
“Under the current speaker, this is not so, and why is this happening? Are the speaker’s words and deeds intended at gradually polarising Parliament and the nation? On Thursday, March 10 (as the speaker is currently not in the country), a certain NDC’s Kofi Attor invited me (as chairman of health committee), the ranking member on health as well as the leaders of the House to a meeting to be hosted on the speaker’s behalf by him,” he wrote.
According to him, he registered his strongest displeasure at the Speaker’s assignment, and made it clear that he wasn’t attending because he didn’t know in what capacity he would be doing that.
“This was rectified, apologies extended, and I joined the meeting chaired by the Minority Leader last Thursday. The question I ask is: where were the deputy speakers and why couldn’t any of them represent the speaker,” he quizzed.