WATCH: 2022 Budget Debate: Speaker exposes Majority Chief Whip

Majority Chief Whip claims Speaker knew of their caucus meeting

Alban Bagbin shocked at empty Majority side seats in parliament

Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, has exposed the Majority in parliament over their claims that he was aware of their Friday, November 26, 2021, caucus meeting.

The Members of Parliament on the Majority side have not been to the Chamber since the advertised 10 am to allow for the final deliberations on the 2022 Budget Statement and Economic Policy, giving the excuse that they have been in a caucus meeting.

Speaking to the media after the Minority had addressed the media on its shock and worry that the MPs on the Majority side were nowhere to be found even when the Speaker of Parliament was ready to begin proceedings, the Majority Chief Whip claimed that the Speaker knew about their meeting.

“We are still at the meeting, the meeting is not done yet, and because we were in a caucus meeting when the Speaker called to engage us, our members are still waiting…,” Frank Annoh Dompreh claimed.

But minutes after, when the Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, took his seat in the half-empty Chamber, he stated that he was not aware of the caucus meeting of the Majority Caucus.

“I’ve just been informed that the Majority side would want to have 30 minutes caucus meeting. They have alleged that I was informed. I was informed early in the morning that both caucuses were having meetings; that I’m aware of… nobody came to inform me that they were having caucus meeting and that’s why I came to preside, only to realize that there’s nobody on their side,” he said.

The Speaker of Parliament then went on to announce the suspension of sitting for 30 minutes to allow for the House to be full before they reconvene.

So far, the MPs on the Majority side are yet to show up in the Chamber.

Earlier, it had been rumoured that the Minority had planned that it would reject the budget should the Members of Parliament for Assin Central and Dome-Kwabenya, Kennedy Agyapong, and Sarah Adwoa Safo, respectively, not make it to the House for the final deliberations.

Source: www.ghanaweb.com