Fights in Parliament can only stop when Joewise stops his impunity and respect the constitution – Ablakwa

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North Tongu lawmaker, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa has said the only way fisticuffs in Parliament will stop is when the constitution and the Standing Orders of Parliament are respected by the leadership in Parliament especially the First Deputy Speaker, Joseph Osei Wusu (Joewise).

Mr Ablakwa explained that the Standing Orders of Parliament are clear on how proceedings should be conducted in the House hence, any attempt to side-step the procedure will attract some concerns.

Mr Ablakwa said these in an interview with TV3’s William Evans-Nkum while calling on Ghanaians not to take the slap comment made by the General Secretary of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) Mr Asiedu Nketia out of context.

According to him, Mr Asiedu Nketia was only calling for the right things to be done in the House in accordance with the Standing Orders.

Johnson Asiedu Nketia had said opposition lawmakers would continue to resist any attempt to pass the E-levy. He said the minority would use any force possible to prevent the controversial bill from being passed.

“So long as impunity will not stop, resistance has been imposed on us as a duty. if a deputy speaker decides to vote and at the same time play the role in a referee, if slapping him will make him do the right thing, don’t hesitate” he told the Ashanti regional youth wing of the NDC in Kumasi on Sunday February 6

Mr Asiedu Nketia further charged the supporters in the Ashanti region to adopt a winning attitude since, according to him, that is the surest way of winning the 2024 elections.

“NPP won Hohoe because they adopted a winning attitude although, we know a lot of things didn’t go down well,” he said.

Speaking on this matter Mr Ablakwa told Evans-Inkum, that “It is important that we do not take the General Secretary out of context.

“The General Secretary is saying that let us follow the laws. The constitution is clear, the Standing Orders is very clear. If you are in the chair you do not have a vote when you are presiding.

“The First Deputy Speaker himself , a few days prior, said that he knows he doesn’t have a vote so let us do things right. We all do not like the images that go out of parliament. We are decent people, we go to Parliament to debate, to do brain work and to represent our people with the best of intentions, we do not go to Parliament with the mindset that we are going to some wrestling arena.

“If you want all of these disturbances to stop and we all do not want this tensions, the brawl , the fisticuffs, the physical contestations, things should never degenerate to that point, we do not want that. But the only way to prevent that is to stop the impunity to respect the constitution, to do things right.”

These comments come at a time stakeholders have said they do not expect fisticuffs in Parliament again as happened during the first session of the 8th Parliament last year.

For instance, Information Minister, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, urged Members of Parliament especially the opposition lawmakers not to physically obstruct process in the House even if they strongly disagree on an issue.