Minority Members walk out on Tony Aidoo's in Parliament

More than half of the Minority members in parliament have walked out of proceedings in protest against Dr Tony Aidoo, Deputy Minister of Defence, as he took the floor to make a personal statement.

The boycott was preceded by constant booing and drumming of tables for about five minutes as Dr Aidoo got up to make the statement, thus making it impossible for him to be heard. When order was finally restored, Mr. Daniel F. Annan, Speaker, asked members who were prepared to listen to do so and those who were not to walk out. The Minority members did so only for 12 of them, including the leadership, to come back.

It all began when Mr. Speaker informed the House that Dr Aidoo was in the House to make a personal statement in response to certain allegations made against him on the floor of the House by some members of the Minority before he was made a Deputy Minister. This is the first time that a minister or a member is making a personal statement since the beginning of the fourth Parliament.

The Minority, led by Nana Akufo-Addo and Mr. J.H. Mensah, protested and argued that since the issues being raised happened when the Deputy Minister was not a minister, and for that matter a member of the House, he could not use the floor of the House to clear those issues.

Nana Akufo-Addo said: "it is quite clear that there are other avenues available to the member; the floor of the House is not available for him, in so far as it is of retrospective nature". Mr. Speaker explained that he was granting the Deputy Minister permission on the basis of standing order 72 and article 111 of the constitution. Mr. Speaker ruled that within standing order 72 and article 111 of the constitution, the Deputy Minister could make a personal statement.

By definition, Dr Aidoo is not a member of the House but is covered by article 111. This brought a lot of members from the Minority side to the floor in protest but Mr. Annan stuck to his ruling and disallowed any further protests. When all avenues failed, the Minority began to drum their tables in protest and finally walked out when Mr. Annan asked those prepared to listen to the statement to do so. "Those who want to listen should do so and those who are not interested may choose to walk out," he stated.