MPs In 8th Parliament Don’t Deserve ‘Honourable’ Title – Maurice Ampaw
A renowned private Legal Practitioner, Dr. Maurice Ampaw has said lawmakers in Ghana’s 8th Parliament of the Fourth Republic do not deserve to be called Honorables following the chaos that occurred ahead of the election of a new Speaker.
According to him, the MPs should have known better and comported themselves as the event was being watched across the world which will paint a bad picture of Ghana before the international community.
Speaking on Nkawkaw based Agoo FM today Maurice Ampaw stated that; “in fact, MPs in this 8th Parliament don’t deserve to be called Honourable(s), let’s remove that title on them’’.
The election of a Speaker went into a near-violent hold up after leadership of the NDC in the House accused their colleagues from the NPP of violating the secret ballot rule of the Parliament by showing their ballot to themselves.
The race between the NDC’s Alban Bagbin and NPP’s Prof. Aaron Mike Oquaye which was expected to be a smooth process and the inauguration of Members of Parliament-elect rather turned chaotic.
MP-elect for Tema West, Carlos Ahenkora snatched ballot papers from the hands of a parliamentary official and bolted but was caught few meters away. Heavily armed soldiers were called into the Chamber of Parliament to ensure law and order.
Commenting on the development, Lawyer Maurice Ampaw lambasted the MPs for behaving shamefully and lawlessly.
“What happened was witnessed worldwide; social media/you-tube, television …the whole world was watching us, and my worry was the children who were also watching …my children are here with me and they’re asking daddy do they fight in parliament? a married woman sits on someone in Parliament and one will also snatch ballot papers… I am surprised’’. He told host Kofi Ansong Baffour.
He added that the president will be sad over this drama in the chamber since the exercise of the inauguration of Parliament and the election of the Speaker were intended to showcase Ghana’s democracy.