The Minority in Parliament has described the Speaker’s decision to eject the Member of Parliament for Damongo, Samuel Abu Jinapor, from the chamber as an act of parliamentary bullying, insisting that the action was disproportionate after the MP withdrew his allegation.
Mr Jinapor was ordered to leave the chamber after claiming that diplomatic passports had been sold for about $50,000, without providing evidence to support the allegation.
Addressing journalists on Wednesday, November 4, Minority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin said Mr Jinapor had withdrawn the statement after being asked to clarify his remarks, but the Speaker maintained the directive for him to leave the chamber.
He argued that the MP’s decision to withdraw the allegation should have provided an opportunity for proceedings to continue without further confrontation.
“Upon clarification, he expressly stated, ‘Mr Speaker, I withdraw.’ He repeated that withdrawal. Yet the direction that he leaves the chamber was maintained. We, the Minority, consider that response disproportionate and, in its effect, an act of parliamentary bullying,” he stated.
Afenyo-Markin, said the Minority through its Foreign Affairs Caucus, would present supporting material to substantiate the claims, including allegations that the practice had become an illicit trade.
“There is supporting material which, in our assessment, raises serious concerns about false representations and apparent impersonation in procuring diplomatic or service passports through the Foreign Ministry,” he said.
He questioned where such concerns should be raised if Parliament was not receptive to scrutiny of issues involving the country’s diplomatic passports
Source: Citinwesroom