The Minority in Parliament, led by Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson, has opposed the inclusion of a Constitutional Instrument (C.I) by Deputy Majority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin in the parliamentary business statement for the week. The C.I, which seeks to make the Ghana Card the sole form of identification for eligible voters, was not agreed upon by members of the Business Committee when they met.
The Deputy Majority Leader, Alexander Afenyo-Markin, in his presentation of the business statement for the ensuing week which ends on Friday, February 17, 2023, included the public election (Registration of Voters) Regulation which was not agreed upon in the business items when the Business Committee members met.
This raised the awareness of the Minority Leader, Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson, who expressed surprise at the introduction of the Constitutional Instrument (C.I) which was not agreed upon by the members of the Business Committee.
“I am surprised to see the Deputy Majority Leader, who did not attend the meeting, standing here and making a pronouncement that this was agreed upon,” said Forson.
In view of that, the first Deputy Speaker, Joseph Osei Owusu, gave a directive that the instrument should be taken out since it did not form part of the business arrangement for the week and get on what has been arranged for the week.
“So, I think to make the way forward let us exclude what was not part of the business arrangement for the week and proceed with what has been arranged for the week,” said Owusu.
This disagreement highlights the growing tension between the Minority and Majority in Parliament, as the Minority accuses the Majority of trying to impose their will on the House.
“The Majority must respect the rules of the House, and we will not allow them to bully us into submission,” said Ato Forson
