Minority MPs Hoot at Oquaye; Liken Him to Idi Amin

Minority members of Parliament on Friday exhibited their dissatisfaction with the conduct of the Speaker of Parliament, Prof. Mike Oquaye, by hooting at him on the floor of the house.

The angry MPs accused the Speaker of seeking to frustrate them from expressing themselves usually on controversial issues.

The NDC MPs hooted at the Speaker after Parliament approved the controversial Legal Profession Regulations 2017 L.I. through a voice vote.

Among notable changes, the Subsidiary Legislation Committee recommended that the Ghana Legal Council should not be allowed to conduct interviews for entrants into the Ghana School of Law.

The Committee, however said the entrance examinations for admission into the school would continue.

Minority Chief Whip, Muntaka Mubarak, had insisted that the House should have done division voting where every Member of Parliament is given the opportunity to vote the way they wanted, but claims that he was completely ignored by the Speaker.

The Minority MPs hooted at the Speaker and chanted songs loudly in the chamber.

Muntaka in a Citi News interview said Professor Oquaye was a threat to Ghana’s democracy saying neither “Mobutu [Sese Seko]” nor “Idi Amin will behave the way he is doing.”

He also called on civil society groups to speak against Professor Oquaye’s actions.

“Civil society should be concerned about how the Speaker is conducting himself, it is so terrible. As for listening to us, you have to listen to us and make your ruling. If we want to challenge your ruling we know what to do, but to deliberately, continuously do what he is doing, I think he is a biggest threat to our democracy.”

I will disrespect you if you dare me – Haruna threatens Speaker

Minority Leader, Haruna Iddrisu, had expressed similar sentiments against the Speaker whom he said ignored him when he wanted to make a comment on the Floor of the House.

Haruna Iddrisu threatened to disregard the authority of the Speaker of Parliament if such actions persist.

This followed what he described as the Speaker’s failure to recognize him when he wanted to make an intervention during the debate on the Special Petroleum Tax last month, February 2018.

“I am sad at the way you have treated me as Minority Leader. I stood up before the Majority Leader. You owe me that courtesy and that respect. Mr. Speaker, even after hearing him [Majority Leader], you have still not decided whether to hear me or not,” he said.

About the controversial Ghana School of Law L.I.

The LI was drawn up and laid in Parliament on December 22, 2017, in response to the Supreme Court order directing a parliamentary approval for the admission process into the Ghana School of Law and to the Ghana Bar.

Some concerned law students had earlier put pressure on Parliament not to pass the L.I. claiming it was not in the best interest of LLB students and potential lawyers in the country.

But Parliament adopted the Subsidiary Legislation Committee’s recommendations for the Legal Profession Regulations 2017 amid the protests.

Among notable changes to the L.I, the Subsidiary Legislation Committee recommended that the Ghana Legal Council should not be allowed to conduct interviews for entrants into the Ghana School of Law.

The Committee, however said the entrance examinations for admission into the school should continue.

 

Click here to listen to the Minority MPs hoot at the Speaker:

Click below to listen to Muntaka as he lambastes Prof. Oquaye:

Source: Citifmonline