Speaker Lashes Minister

The National Democratic Congress (NDC) Member of Parliament for Juaboso, Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, who doubles as a deputy minister for Lands and Natural Resources, on Tuesday incurred the wrath of the speaker when he (Akandoh) abandoned parliamentary business to participate in Adom FM’s 'morning show' programme.

The Juaboso MP was scheduled to ask an advertised question in parliament which stood in his name, but it was revealed by another Member from the minority side that the deputy minister was busily having a discussion on Adom FM - an Accra-based radio station – while the Minister of Roads and Highways was also in the House ready to answer the question.

Mr Akandoh was to ask the Minister for Roads and Highways when the Proso-Anwhiafutu Junction road would be constructed, but when his name was called the NDC MP for Adaklu, Kwame Governs Agbodza, stood up and pleaded with the speaker to allow him ask the question on behalf of his colleague, prompting the minority leader, Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, to find out from the Adaklu MP where the Juaboso MP was.

“Mr speaker, my honourable colleague authorised me to ask the question on his behalf over the weekend but currently, I would not know exactly where he is,” Agbodza replied.

The New Patriotic Party (NPP) Member for Sunyani West, who is also the second deputy minority chief whip, Ignatius Baffour-Awuah, told the House that he heard the Juaboso MP participating in the Adom FM programme.

The speaker, Edward Doe Adjaho, said that the information given by the Sunyani West MP was very useful and that it clearly showed that the Juaboso MP did not attach any importance to the business of the House.

“You as members of parliament always complain to me that when it comes to the business of the House, ministers of state do not attach the needed importance to it, but now the Minister of Roads and Highways is here and as an MP you are also not in the House, even though the business statement for this week was read on the floor before the House adjourned on Friday,” Mr Doe Adjaho fumed.

The majority front bench, led by the deputy majority leader, Alfred Agbesi, tried to defend their colleague, arguing that even though the Sunyani West MP might have heard the Juaboso MP participating in Adom FM's programme, it did not mean that the MP was physically present in the studios of the radio station and that it could be that he was contacted on telephone and was explaining things to the host of the programme.

The speaker quickly stopped the majority front bench from defending their colleague.

By Thomas Fosu Jnr