‘We may never be able to rely on the Speaker’ – Joe Wise cautions Majority MPs

Joseph Osei-Owusu, the First Deputy Speaker of Parliament is concerned about the current composition of the lawmaking chamber.

His party, the New Patriotic Party, NPP, have 137 seats, same as the opposition National Democratic Congress whiles the only independent candidate works with the NPP, making them the Majority – Majority Group so-called by Speaker Alban Bagbin.

Osei-Owusu alias Joe Wise is concerned that the NPP despite having the advantage of one MP has been severely challenged in the first year of the eighth Parliament, one of the key reasons in his view is the role the Speaker plays.

“How to deal with the challenge of taking advantage of the one Majority that we have, knowing that we may never be able to rely on the Speaker in these circumstances.

“We must work with the view that there are 137 of us plus one who may be presiding. In that circumstance, how do we go about reaping the one advantage we have as a caucus? That, in my view should be the focus,” he told colleague MPs during a retreat over the weekend.

“We are a party in government, in the chamber we are called the Majority but it does appear that anytime we have to take a decision we either need Mr. Speaker in the chair, or all of us must vote. How to reap this, should be the focus of this meeting,” he stressed.

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.