Freddie Blay, the National Chairman of the ruling New Patriotic Party, has tasked leadership of the Majority Caucus in Parliament to avoid heated media exchanges with the Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin.
Blay believes that it is more productive that the Majority does all it take to get the cooperation of the colleagues on the Minority side in order to advance the agenda of government.
“We all recognize that violence has never been the way out of any conflict situation, but rather dialogue and consensus-building,” he is quoted to have said.
He addressed the issue of violence in the house as happened over the course of 2021 before drumming home the need for more decorous relationship especially with the Speaker.
“Parliament is Parliament! And not a forum for brawls but rather coax them (Minority) for debates. I would plead that we also tone down on the heated media banters between the majority caucus leadership and the Speaker of Parliament,” Mr. Blay stated.
The former Ellembele MP was speaking at a two-day Strategic Workshop organized by the Majority Caucus at Kwahu -Nkwatia in the Kwahu East District of the Eastern Region.
The gathering among others was to brainstorm ideas as MPs resume their duties on January 25, 2022 following the Christmas and New Year holidays.
Speaker Bagbin, a former NDC MP has had clashes with the Majority Group over certain procedures and rulings in 2021. A highlight being his supervision of a controversial budget rejection.
When Joe Wise took the seat after Bagbin traveled for medical attention, the House purportedly overturned the rejection and proceeded to approve same.
The rejection was by only NDC MPs, the NPP MPs walked out and the approval was by only NPP MPs because the NDC side stayed away.
Bagbin is on record to have openly criticized a key government policy in the shape of E-levy that is contained in the 2022 budget statement. The Minority have among others accused him of obstructing government work by his actions and inactions, an accusation Bagbin has rejected.
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