The fate of Assin Central MP, Mr. Kennedy Ohene Agyapong, would be decided by Parliament as the Privileges Committee chaired by the First Deputy Speaker and MP for Bekwai has recommended sanctions against him over his claims that the House is “cheap” and “useless”.
The Committee arrived at the decision after finding Mr. Agyapong to have been in contempt of Parliament for his remarks that “Parliament is cheap” and “Parliament is useless” during an interview on Net2 TV and Adom TV.
Prior to arriving at the final decision, the Committee was divided as to whether to reprimand or suspend Mr. Agyapong.
The committee therefore deferred the two recommendations to the house for determination.
However, the house could not take a decision on the matter before it rose.
It was therefore disclosed that the plenary will determine the appropriate sanction when the house resumes on September.
Background of the issue
At the thirteenth Sitting of the Seventh Parliament held on Wednesday June 3, 2018, Member of Parliament for Asawase, Alhaji Muntaka Mohammed-Mubarack drew the attention of the house to alleged disparaging comments by the Assin Central MP, Mr. Kennedy Agyapong in the media to the effect that the house was “useless and cheap”.
Mr. Muntaka indicated that the alleged comments were in contempt of Parliament under Standing Order 28 of the house.
In accordance with Standing Order 164(2), the complaint was referred to the Committee of Privileges for investigation and report.
Privileges Committee’s report and findings
According to the report, the committee held series of meetings and evidence was taken from Member of Parliament for Asawase, Alhaji Muntaka Mohammed-Mubarak.
The evidence submitted to the committee were in the form of audio-visuals from Net2 TV and Adom TV and excerpts of printed documents from owassfmonline.com and hypercitigh.com.
According to the evidence presented to the committee, the respondent, Kennedy Agyapong, used two phrases to call Parliament “useless” and “cheap”.
In the report, the respondent admitted that he uttered the words, “Parliament is cheap” but denied uttering “Parliament is useless”. He explained that he made his utterance out of extreme anger.
According to the report, the committee was convinced that contrary to the denial by the respondent, he indeed made those disparaging comments that “Parliament is cheap” and “Parliament is useless”.
In the report, the committee determined that the comments by Kennedy Agyapong affront the dignity of Parliament and he is guilty of contempt of Parliament in terms of Article 122 of the Constitution and Order 28 of the Standing Orders of Parliament.
The committee was in favour of either a reprimand or a suspension and after extensive deliberations, the committee put the two options to vote.
Out of a total membership of thirty-one, twenty members were present at the time of the voting. Ten members voted in favour of reprimand as a sanction and ten members voted in favour of suspension as a sanction.
In view of the split ballot, the committee recommended to the plenary to determine the appropriate sanction.
Source: GhanaJustice/S.Ayisi
