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Parliament is scheduled to vote on the 2024 budget statement today.
This follows Speaker of the House Alban Bagbin’s November 30 reminder that the economic policy and budget statement for 2024 had not yet been approved.
The Majority staged a walkout during the adoption of the statement in the previous session, claiming that the Speaker was acting in an undesirable and improper way. They said that the Speaker had first decided in favor of the Majority following a voice vote on the floor, but that decision had been overturned when the Minority objected to the voice vote and demanded a headcount.
The Speaker was also charged by the Majority with using delay strategies. They asserted that he made sure Minority members, who had not yet entered the chamber, could rush in to be counted once the Speaker had told them to rise when their names were called for the count.
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“What is happening is that there are five members of the minority who are not here, so all that he’s doing is to play for time to enable them to come to the chamber. That is it, that’s all that it is,” the Majority Leader, Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu said.
The Speaker defended his alleged reversal by making it clear that he had made an opinion statement rather than a legal ruling.
He said, “So throughout the practice when it’s an opinion, you say I think, I think, that is an opinion I’m expressing. I think the ayes have it. Now an opportunity is created for somebody to challenge the opinion and so when you read 113 (2) it doesn’t talk about ruling, it talks about the opinion that’s why it says a member may call for a headcount or division if the opinion of Mr Speaker on a voice vote is challenged.”
In order to make a final budget decision, the Speaker instructed the business committee on November 30 to postpone the headcount for today.
He argues that there is no room for discussion on the subject.
