Ranking Member on the Privileges Committee of Parliament, Kweku George Ricketts-Hagan has said the committee may consider televising the hearing of the three absentee New Patriotic Party (NPP) lawmakers who were referred to the Committee by the Speaker, Alban Bagbin.
He told TV3’s Parliamentary correspondent Komla Klutse in interview on Wednesday May 25 that if a request is made to that effect, the committee may consider it.
“That is part of the modalities, I will not be able to tell you now. When we get there and there has been some kind of request of that the committee will look at that. If that is what the public wants that is what the public will get, we are going for the modalities for the final decision,” he said.
He earlier outlined the modalities for the hearing.
“On the 26th of May, we will meet with Henry Quartey, the 27th of May will be the turn of Adwoa Safo, and then on the 31st of May, we will meet with Kennedy Agyapong. We will discuss the modalities at today’s meeting,” the Cape Coast South lawmaker said.
Speaker Bagbin has referred Kennedy Agyapong, Assin Central, Sarah Adwoa Safo, Dome Kwabenya and Henry Quartey, Aywaso Central. for absenting themselves from Parliament without permission for more than fifteen sittings.
But during proceedings, National Democratic Congress (NDC) MP for Asawase contested the Speaker’s ruling and said if the decision was allowed to stand, it would set a dangerous precedence which can be used by a “dictator speaker” in future to hurt lawmakers.
“If we allow this to stand it will become a precedent, tomorrow it may hurt all of us,” he said.
By Laud Nartey|3news.com|Ghana