Parliament adjourns proceedings due to lack of quorum

Accra, Feb. 22, GNA - Parliament on Tuesday adjourned proceedings soon after sitting began because the house did not form a quorum. Mr Kwabena Okyere Darko-Mensah, Member of Parliament (MP) for Takoradi, raised the issue ten minutes after the house commenced business which almos= t resulted into a debate but after all efforts to proceed failed the Speaker called for adjournment.

At exactly 10.45 hours, a good majority of members from both sides were not present.

Mrs Adeline Bamford Addo, Speaker of Parliament, asked that the members should wait for some ten more minutes after which if the members were still not in then she would have no option than to adjourn. Even after 20 minutes members were still not in except from the majority side who by then had come in.

Mr Cletus Avoka, Majority Leader said most committees were engaged outside Parliament, especially the Emoluments, Health, and Public Accounts Committees, adding that the issue of quorum should not unduly prevent Parliament from working.

Mr Joe Ghartey, MP for Essikadu/Ketan, suggested the suspension of business for the leaders to meet and advice the Speaker on the decision to adopt. This was after Mr Osei Akoto, MP for Old Tafo said Order 48 of the Standing Orders of Parliament, states; 93If at the time of sitting a membe= r takes notice or objection that there are present in the house, besides the person presiding less than one third of the number of all the members of Parliament and after an interval of ten minutes a quorum is not present, th= e person presiding shall adjourn the House without question put until the nex= t sitting day."

Again Article 102 of the 1992 Constitution states; 94a quorum of Parliament apart from the person presiding shall be one third of all member= s of parliament". Mrs Addo called on the Standing Orders Committees to take a look at th= e standing orders and make necessary amendments. She said there were times that the house started with a full complemen= t of members but as proceedings continued they kept moving in and out thus i= t was not possible to have one third complement of the house. She expressed the hope that the constitutional review committee would also take notice of some of the Articles that are likely to make the work o= f Parliament difficult.

Mr Ambrose Dery, Deputy Minority Leader, drew the attention of the Speaker to the fact that some Ministers had just entered the chamber but were walking out again, adding that that was not the time for them to walk out. Mr Avoka sharply replied that the Ministers were not walking out but they were only going out to pick some items they had been alerted to remove from their vehicles.

He tried to convince members that proceedings began before the member raised the issue of quorum and so the member's issue should not be given any hearing. Mr Fredrick Opare-Ansah, Minority Chief Whip, said that the bell had been rung for more than ten minutes but the members were not in so the issu= e of quorum was appropriate.

Mr Osei Kyei Mensah-Bonsu, Minority Leader said if the house was to g= o strictly by the procedures of clause 48 in the standing orders, then no wor= k would be done, adding that there were times that it was not possible to hav= e all members present and pleaded that proceedings should continue. When the issue of quorum was still being dragged on Mrs Adeline Addo called for an adjournment of sitting and to continue on Wednesday. 22 Feb 11

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