Speaker rebukes MPs for rowdiness

The Speaker of parliament, Edward Doe Adjaho, on Thursday, March 3 admonished legislators over their lack of civility during debates on the floor of the House.

This came a day after the Speaker had issued a stern warning to MPs to conduct themselves properly in their debate over the president’s State of the Nation Address after intense heckling by both sides.

Addressing the House after some parliamentarians had referred to a lawmaker as a liar, the Speaker said their conduct was unparliamentary.

“Honourable members, it is unparliamentary to [say]… to a member on the floor that he is lying. If a person is making an argument or submitting evidence, which you think that you have superior evidence [to counter], raise a point of order and draw the Chair’s attention to it and then we will ask him to provide further and better particulars,” he lamented.

“You don’t sit at your place… – and all of you do it, both sides – you keep on screaming at one another; it is unparliamentary and I keep on telling you I receive all kinds of text messages from well-meaning Ghanaians on your conduct in this House.

“I receive messages, people talk to me, well-meaning Ghanaians talk to me about the conduct of honourable members of this House. That is pushing me to say things I should not be saying as I sit here. Why do you say your colleague is lying, shouting, screaming, both sides are guilty,” he said.

“…You will need to use language that is parliamentary, our own conduct and behaviour must be decorous,” he added.

The Speaker advised the members to take a cue from the MP for Sekondi, Papa Owusu-Ankomah, and Majority Leader Alban Bagbin on how they act decorously during debates on the floor.