Minority accuses Majority of wasting 75% of emergency parliament sitting

The Minority in Parliament has criticised the Majority Caucus, accusing it of failing to make productive use of the limited time available during the House’s emergency recall.

The Minority said roughly 75% of the five-day emergency sitting had already passed without Parliament taking up major government business, including the Banks and Specialised Deposit-Taking Institutions Amendment Bill and the National Petroleum Authority Bill.

Speaking to journalists after Parliament adjourned, Walewale MP Dr Mahama Tiah Abdul Kabiru said the government needed to demonstrate greater commitment to advancing its legislative agenda.

He said the Minority had reluctantly agreed to the emergency recall despite having other important matters to pursue, including a motion seeking an investigation into alleged losses involving GoldBod.

According to him, the Speaker had made it clear that the recall would focus only on the issues that necessitated the emergency sitting. However, with the House reaching the third day of its five-day schedule, he argued that most of the available parliamentary time had effectively been lost.

Minority Chief Whip Frank Annoh-Dompreh also called on the Majority to explain why government business had not progressed despite the emergency recall.

The First Deputy Majority Whip, Comfort Doyoe, however, attributed the delays to ongoing ministerial and judicial vetting by Parliament’s Appointments Committee.

She explained that the emergency sitting was necessary to facilitate the vetting and approval of two ministers and some judges, allowing the ministers to return to their respective ministries and work on their budgets.

Doyoe maintained that Parliament was still working and said the schedule could have progressed faster if the Minority had not raised concerns about the short notice given for the vetting.

She added that the Majority had intended to complete the vetting earlier, approve the nominees and use the remaining days to deal with other parliamentary business before adjourning on Friday.