By Edzorna Francis Mensah
The NDC Group in Parliament led by Dr. Casel Ato Forson has vowed to jealously protect their new majority status, and they will not bow, “retreat nor surrender our lawfully earned status”.
He said his side will also not abdicate their responsibility to the people no matter what and “nothing, absolutely nothing, will change this position”.
Addressing the maiden media conference in Parliament as “Majority Caucus” in Parliament following the declaration by the Speaker to effect that seats are now vacant, Dr. Ato Forson submitted that his side of the house is fully fortified that the “proceedings” of Parliament “shall not” be “impeached or questioned in any court or place out of Parliament”.
According to him, any interference with the business of Parliament is unlawful, unacceptable, and shall be resisted.
*We have never hidden our position that we are in this Parliament for the ordinary Ghanaian,” he reiterated.
He said Mr. Speaker was legally right at all material times about the decision to declare the said seats vacant based on the fact that the actions of the MPs in question breached article 97(1)(g) and (h), and under Order 18 of the Standing Orders, “the Rt. Hon. Speaker communicated to the House the vacancies of the four seats”.
“For the avoidance of doubt, the Speaker’s decision to declare the four seats vacant is a lawful exercise of his responsibility derived from the 1992 constitution and the Standing Orders of Parliament”.
The effect of the Speaker’s declaration is that, currently Parliament no longer has an Independent Member of Parliament.
The NPP has 135 Members of Parliament. The NDC has 136 Members of Parliament and there is no 2nd Deputy Speaker of Parliament.
This effectively alters the configuration of the 8th Parliament. The NPP group in Parliament is now the Minority Caucus as defined by the relevant section of Order (6) of our Standing Orders. “Minority Caucus” means the Members of the Party or Parties that have the second the largest number of seats in the House.
The NDC MPs in Parliament now constitute the Majority Caucus, in line with the Standing Orders of Parliament. The NDC now constitutes the Majority Caucus in this 8th Parliament.
