Deputy Majority Leader in Parliament, Alexander Afenyo-Markin, has challenged claims by the Minority group suggesting the Clerk’s office has been compromised.
According to him, it is unacceptable for the legislators to attack the personality of Cyril Kwabena Nsiah because he has no right to be heard in the Chamber.
“We should not split heads on this matter. I think this is even a matter for us to sit in conclave with you to resolve. It is unfair to him [the Clerk] because he cannot speak.
“Mr Speaker, the Clerk cannot speak, he has no right of audience, and it’s against the rule of natural justice to accuse somebody for the whole world to watch that your Clerk is incompetent, your Clerk is partisan when he cannot respond to it,” he said.
Alexander Afenyo-Markin said these after the Minority Chief Whip, Muntaka Mubarak, raised concerns over the alleged absenteeism of eight National Democratic Congress MPs on Tuesday during the consideration and passage E-levy Bill.
The Asawase lawmaker accused the Clerk of being partisan and deliberately inciting the Ghanaians against the said NDC MPs.
He, however, demanded that the error be rectified with immediate effect.
Some of the MPs who were marked absent also observed that the negligence of the clerks has led to unwarranted attacks on their person, adding that their political fortunes are being threatened.
But in a sharp response, Mr Afenyo-Markin asked the House to expunge the accusations against the clerks from the records.
“Mr Speaker, that statement coming from a leader of this House is unacceptable. Not too long ago, he – Muntaka Mubarak – had the occasion to advise me when I had an issue with Parker Wilson of Joy FM, and he said Parker has no right to be heard, so if I have an issue, I should take it up.
“We should engage and not use the floor because the Clerk cannot respond to you; all the attacks, he cannot respond, and you know. I think that the issue that you raised, we should all address it,” he suggested.
In a related development, the General Secretary of the opposition NDC, Johnson Asiedu Nketia, has argued that the Clerk who keeps possession of the true records of the House deliberately marked about eight NDC MPs as absent, despite the said MPs being present in the Chamber.
“How come these people [the eight MP’s] will all of a sudden be marked absent when they actually were there, and everybody saw them? They signed the attendance sheet, and I have spoken to them. They signed the attendance sheet, so it tells you that somebody somewhere is tampering with evidence,” he said.
Speaking to JoyNews, he called on the leadership of the Minority to challenge the altered documents.
“It gives me the impression that the Majority side knew they have done something wrong and the rules did not actually back the approval of E-levy, and they know the Minority have resorted to court action and so they now come round to fake the evidence that will be called for during the hearing.
“That is what gives me the suspicion that this thing is a deliberate orchestration to take decisions on behalf of Ghanaians when their representatives have actually not taken those decisions legitimately,” he added.
