‘Absentee’ Adwoa Safo marked present in Parliament

When Parliament commenced business on Monday, April 4, 2022, a concern raised by the Adentan Member of Parliament, Mohammed Adamu Ramadan, led to a moment of controversy.

The MP, during the process of correcting Votes and Proceedings, pointed out that Member of Parliament for Dome-Kwabenya, Sarah Adwoa Safo, per the records of the House was marked present on Friday, April 1, 2022, despite being absent.

“Just out of curiosity, page 7, number 225, Sarah Adwoa Safo has been marked as present.

“I don’t know whether the table office is giving effect to the Speaker’s ruling that you don’t have to be physically present in the Chamber to be captured. I don’t know if Adwoa Safo is back in this jurisdiction,” he wondered.

First Deputy Speaker, Joseph Osei-Owusu who was presiding over the house in response said “the table office will verify and make appropriate corrections.”

The concern, however, triggered a heated debate over a recent ruling by the Speaker of the House to the effect that MPs can be marked present if they are within the precincts of Parliament and not necessarily the chamber.

MP for Ho West, Emmanuel Bedzra noted that the Speaker’s recent ruling departs from previous practice in the house where members only signed their attendance when they enter the chamber.

“It has been Speaker upon Speaker’s conclusion that when you come to the chamber, the first thing you should do is to sign and you Speaker (Joseph Osei-Owusu) have said the same thing that for anybody to come to this chamber and go for a Committee meeting, it should not be recorded as being in attendance in the Chamber.

“So for a new ruling that you can be anywhere at all within the premises and you’d be counted as coming to Parliament or be in the Chamber, Mr Speaker (Joseph Osei-Owusu), I think this House must make a decision on this matter. Otherwise, we can all be in our offices and claim that we have come to Parliament,” Mr Bedzra stated.

The Minority Chief Whip, Mohammed-Mubarak Muntaka however parried the concern of his caucus member by explaining that Speaker Alban Bagbin’s ruling contrary to some beliefs maintained that MPs could only be captured as present when they turn up in the chamber.

“I don’t think the Speaker’s ruling was that members could be absent or present without being on the floor. What he said was that the signing is not mandatory. It is for you to do it on the floor for it to be captured but not that he said you don’t need to be in the chamber, we all know,” he stressed.

Sarah Adwoa Safo has been away from Parliament after being granted extended leave by the President last year.

Her continued absence and prolonged stay in the United States of America has generated a lot of controversy from various circles including her caucus and party – some members of whom have accused her of abandoning her post and holding government to ransom.