Speaker Alban Bagbin’s decision to suspend four members of Parliament in response to the chaotic scenes at the vetting session on Thursday, January 30, 2025, has drawn criticism from former majority leader Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu.
Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu challenged the Speaker’s legitimacy, claiming that neither the Constitution nor the Standing Orders provide him the ability to enforce such penalties.
During a Saturday interview with Joy News, Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu admitted that “The Speaker is right to have availed himself of the imperative of Order 342 of the new Standing Orders.”
“Now the question to ask is from where the Speaker is deriving his authority,” he said, expressing worries on the Speaker’s authority. The Speaker is not given any such jurisdiction by the Constitution or the Standing Orders.
The Speaker’s actions were further criticized by Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, who implied that Bagbin had gone too far.
“The Speaker has not only jumped the gun but has gone outside the prescription of the law to impose his sanction. His own attitude and conduct is questionable,” Mr Bonsu added.
Source: Ghanatodayonline.com