Suspending committee meetings not strange – Majority denies disrupting PAC sitting
The Majority in Parliament has rejected claims that it deliberately disrupted the Public Accounts Committee’s sitting on Wednesday during the investigations into the reported GHC68 billion government arrears flagged in the Auditor-General’s special report.
According to the caucus, the decision to pull members of the committee is part of an agreed arrangement to prioritise plenary business over committee works.
Speaking on the floor of Parliament on Wednesday, Majority Chief Whip Rockson-Nelson Dafeamekpor dismissed claims that the Majority wanted to frustrate the work of the Committee, stating that such an assertion is “simply wrong.”
“The impression that we are not interested in the committee’s work is not accurate,” he said. “We met yesterday and took a decision that because of the heavy nature of business for plenary, committee activities should be suspended through Friday.”
He clarified that the decision was based on scheduling pressures in the House and not on any intention to undermine investigations into the Auditor-General’s report.
“There was nothing like disruption. So, this is how things are done in Parliament,” he explained, “parliamentary business is planned ahead by the Business Committee and members have already been informed that, for that week, plenary would begin at 10:00 a.m. instead of the usual 2:00 p.m.”
“If a committee leader decides to fix committee meetings at 9:00 a.m., then you just have one hour to consider the committee business so that when it is 10:00 a.m. it doesn’t clash with the time of sitting at plenary,” he added.
The Majority Chief Whip kicked against claims that Majority MPs were pulled out of the meeting in order to “collapse the sitting,” adding that the caucus only suggested that PAC suspends the sitting temporarily for government business to proceed as scheduled.
“We didn’t withdraw our members. We only said that we are asking committee meetings to be suspended,” he said. “Maybe they must have worked for like an hour. You suspend the work, we come to plenary, we work and deal with the major business of the day. These things are not cast in stone. It’s just that we need to have some consensus on these matters.”
He also argued that the PAC’s oversight powers have not been damaged in any meaningful way and said any claims that suggest such should be dismissed.
“It’s just about timing. Oversight powers mandate is not frustrated, is not adversely affected. Any such suggestion must be disregarded because that cannot be accurate,” he said.
Responding to criticism that the Majority’s action could create the impression that the government was being shielded from scrutiny, Dafeamekpor said the matter was being exaggerated for political effect.
“If this attempt to make a storm out of a teacup in this matter is not for mischievous purposes, then I don’t know what it is,” he said. “What’s happening is absolutely inconsequential. We’ve suspended committee sittings many, many, many times just so that plenary can conveniently work.”
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