Minority stage walkout over bribery allegation

Page 3, July 7, 2009

Story: Emmanuel Adu-Gyamerah & Daniel Nkrumah

A BREWING controversy over an alleged $5,000 bribery scandal involving Minority Members of Parliament emerged yesterday on the floor of the House, leading to a walkout by the Minority.
The Member of Parliament (MP) for Sene, Mr Felix Twumasi Appiah, provoked the ire of the Minority when he made a reference to an allegation made by New Patriotic Party (NPP) MP for Asikuma Odoben Brakwa, P. C. Appiah Ofori, in the media that some NPP MPs were bribed $5,000 each in their support for the Vodafone deal.
Mr Twumasi-Appiah appeared to have been goaded by the NPP MP for Bimbilla, Mr Dominic Ntiwul, who, in his contribution to the debate on the Finance Committee’s report on a $300 million IDA facility, expressed the hope that the cash would not be used for “tea partying, pampas and chinchiga” to the rousing response of “hear hear” from the Minority.
When he took his turn, Mr Twumasi-Appiah said he hoped that members of the Minority were not speaking from experience, adding that in view of the comments made by P. C. Appiah Ofori that members on the Minority side were given $5,000 each to vote for the Vodafone deal, there was a clear indication that in the past some monies might have been misapplied.
That sparked numerous interventions from members of the Minority side, with Deputy Minority Leader, Ambrose Dery; MP for Old Tafo, Dr Akoto Osei, and Minority Chief Whip, Mr Frederick Opare Ansah leading those interventions and requesting that Mr Twumasi-Appiah be compelled to withdraw the statement.
The Minority MPs argued that the statement was purely an allegation that could cause damage to the integrity of the parliamentarians although it could not be substantiated.
The Deputy Minority Leader, Mr Ambrose Dery, argued strongly that P. C. Appiah Ofori had made an allegation about an occurrence in the past and the reference to the present Parliament was unfair, stressing that “either he withdraws the statement or he is referred to the Privileges Committee”.
The MP for Old Tafo, Dr Akoto Osei, who shared similar sentiments, urged the MP for Sene to withdraw the statement, since he could not provide any evidence to buttress the statement.
The Majority Leader, Mr Alban Bagbin, urged both sides of the House to be decorous and wondered why after the Minority had responded heartily to Ntiwul’s admonition to the Executive not to use the money for pampers, chinchiga and tea partying, they would now complain about the statements made by Twumasi-Appiah.
Nevertheless, the Majority Leader urged that both P. C. Appiah Ofori and Mr Twumasi-Appiah be referred to the Privileges Committee in order to get to the bottom of the matter, “since it affects the integrity of Parliament”.
The Speaker ruled that the MP for Sene should withdraw the statement, but in doing so, his comments displeased the Minority, who believed he was just playing with words and not being forthright, hence their resort to the walkout.
Meanwhile, the Minority have resolved not to take part in any voting or decision in the House until the matter is expeditiously resolved by the Privileges Committee of Parliament.
Minority Leader, Mr Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, at a press conference yesterday, said the Minority, however, would partake in the proceedings of the House.
“We wish to state that until this matter is cleared by the Privileges Committee, we in the Minority feel constrained to state that we find it rather difficult to participate in further decision making and voting on the floor of the House,” Mr Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu stated.
He explained that in as much as government business must go on, it was the belief of the Minority that the esteem, dignity and integrity of Parliament must be preserved.
He said Standing Orders 93 (2) 28 and 38 provided for the use of proper language and the making of statements of fact during debates.
He added that the Minority was aware “of the baseless allegations of the receipt of $5,000 by individual Members of Parliament who voted for the approval of the Vodafone Agreement that have been made by Mr P. C. Appiah-Ofori against some members of this House in some sections of the media”.
He said the re-echoing of the matter on the floor of the House raises serious concerns, especially given the reluctance of Mr Twumasi-Appiah to withdraw the statement, despite persistent directives by the Speaker, Mrs Joyce Bamford-Addo.
The MP for Asikuma-Odoben-Brakwa was, however, not present in the House.