The Minority in Parliament on Wednesday, 20 September 2017 staged a boycott of parliamentary duties over the controversial AMERI deal rescission.

It will be recalled that the opposition MPs first staged a walkout in Parliament in protest of the Speaker’s decision to refer a motion for an abrogation of the $510 million AMERI power deal to the Mines and Energy Committee for consideration.

The motion, filed by Adansi Asokwa MP and former Ranking Member of the Committee, KT Hammond, is being challenged by the Minority who say their standing orders do not make room for such motions to be referred straight to a committee without debating it.

At a media briefing on Wednesday, 20 September 2017, Ranking Member of the Mines and Energy Committee, Adam Mutawakilu, in announcing the boycott, also urged government to break its silence and state its position on the deal.

He said: “We the Minority members on the Land and Energy Committee have decided that out of careful consideration of all relevant facts, not to take part in the deliberation of the committee in respect of the urgent motion filed by honourable KT Hammond requesting that the house rescind the decision it gave in approving the Built Owned and Operate Transfer (BOOT) agreement between the Government of Ghana and African and Middle East Resource Investment Limited (AMERI Energy) on grounds of gross misrepresentation.

“The Minority does not want to be part of any precedence as far as parliamentary practice is concern. Parliament, as an arm of government, conducts its business on the dictates of the standing orders as stipulated under article 110 (1) of the 1992 constitution. In other words, any action or move taken by any member of the house has to be within the remit of the constitution and the standing orders.

“It is worthy to note that there is no part section or rule of the standing orders that allows for a motion to be referred to a committee after it has been moved and seconded to without deliberation by the house. This cannot be found in the current standing orders or standing orders of Parliament since independence.

“Secondly, it is strange that honourable KT Hammond, who is not a party to the agreement, is requesting Parliament to rescind its decision on the basis of gross misrepresentation. KT Hammond has no locus in this matter. Though we the Minority respect the concerns and the standing of KT Hammond as a member of the committee for Mines and Energy to take up matters pertaining to the sector, in the overall circumstance of this matter, we think his request should not be honoured.

“In all this development, it is surprising that government, which is a party to this agreement, has remained silent on its position. We therefore call on government to come clear on its position with regards to the agreement.”