Deputy Speaker misinterpreting standing orders – Ablakwa

Ablakwa says order 191 speaks about bills, not motions

We presented a motion, not a bill, MP

Probes cannot be done for issues under the jurisdiction of Committees, Joe Wise

North Tongu MP Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa has said that the first deputy speaker of parliament is misinterpreting the standing orders of the house with regards to his position on setting up special committees.

According to Okudzeto, Joseph Osei-Owusu’s interpretation implies that the house of parliament can no longer set up committees to look into issues of national interest.

Osei-Owusu dismissed a motion by the minority caucus to set up a special committee to probe Ghana’s COVID-19 expenditure, saying that there are committees of parliament that can conduct the inquiry.

“My ruling was that for parliament to set up a special committee, the orders say only issues that are not in the jurisdiction of any committee of the house are those that require special committees,” he said in Twi in an interview with Neat FM monitored by GhanaWeb.

Speaking on Joy News’ Newsfile monitored by GhanaWeb, the North Tongu MP said that “the order that the first deputy speaker relied upon, I am on all faults with the Right Honorable Speaker Alban Bagbin that the first deputy speaker got it totally wrong.

“Order 191 states… the house may at any time by motion appoint special or ad hoc committees to investigate any matter of public importance; to consider any bill that does not come under the jurisdiction of any of the standing or select committees… we didn’t present a bill. This private members motion was a motion, not a bill,” he said.

On claims by Osei-Owusu that the Public Accounts Committee could look into Ghana’s COVID-19 expenditure, he said, “… that is where they are wrong, if you read Order 165, the Public Accounts Committee cannot initiate its own audits, it only assesses audits from the Auditor-General.”

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