Former Deputy Minister and Ambassador to the Netherlands, Dr Tony Aidoo, has condemned Members of Parliament involved in the disruption of proceedings on Tuesday, December 10, asserting that those responsible should be stripped of their “Honourable” titles for bringing Parliament into disrepute.
Parliament descended into chaos when members of the Minority Caucus stormed the centre of the chamber, abandoning their seats and sparking a brief scuffle that forced the Speaker to suspend sitting.
The disturbance erupted amid fiery exchanges over the declaration of the Kpandai parliamentary seat as vacant a move the Minority has condemned as unlawful and procedurally irregular.
Before tempers flared, Majority Leader Mahama Ayariga had criticised the Minority’s ongoing protests, arguing they were obstructing parliamentary business.
Speaking on Joy FM’s Super Morning Show on Wednesday, December 10, Dr Aidoo noted that the behaviour exhibited in the chamber was far beyond the bounds of legitimate parliamentary dissent.
- READ ALSO: Chaos erupts in Parliament as Minority storms centre of floor over Kpandai seat controversy
“Yesterday what happened in Parliament was not palatable at all,” he said. “Increasingly, the Ghanaian Parliament is exhibiting conduct that is not acceptable. In as much as there is a right to heckle your opponent, there is a limit. Yesterday they went beyond heckling it was a total attempt at filibustering, and that is not good for people who have been voted into Parliament to exhibit democratic conduct.”
He stressed that the Minority’s refusal to allow the Majority Leader to speak, coupled with their disregard for the authority of the Speaker, violated fundamental parliamentary norms.
“They breached democratic conduct, and they didn’t show any respect to the Speaker,” he said. “Under their own standing orders, when the Speaker begins to speak, you have to sit down and listen. Not only did they refuse to sit down, but they also wouldn’t listen.”
He noted that the Majority Leader’s speech had been delivered in a “chaotic atmosphere”, commending the Hansard staff if they managed to accurately document the disorderly proceedings.
Dr Aidoo expressed deep regret over what he described as the decline of Ghana’s democratic culture since 1992.
“I feel very sorry that this democracy has not endured to the benefit of the ordinary people,” he lamented.
“All it has done is create a minority class of parasites people sitting on the necks of the citizens, voted into power to cream off resources while neglecting national interest for party interest. This is very bad.”
He argued that MPs are elected to prioritise national interest above all else, not personal gain or political loyalty.
Dr Aidoo said that the unacceptable conduct displayed on Tuesday was not confined to one side of the political divide.
“On both sides, we have seen conduct that has become too unbecoming,” he said. “Parliament is not a market place for you to go and filibust in a manner that is not honourable.”
He insisted that MPs involved in Tuesday’s confrontation no longer deserved their titles.
“All the people who took part should be scraped off their ‘Honourable’ titles,” he declared. “They are not honourable they are dishonourable people.”
Dr Aidoo further criticised the Speaker for not exercising his authority to restore order more decisively.
“The Speaker would have been right if he walked them out and he should have walked them out,” he said.
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