Supreme Court’s decision is a judicial support for Nana Addo’s E-levy – Haruna Iddrisu
The minority group in Parliament has expressed its disappointment with the ruling on whether a Deputy Speaker can vote while leading proceedings or not and deemed it as a travesty of justice.
For them, the judiciary’s ruling has failed the country’s parliamentary democracy.
Whether a Deputy Speaker can vote while presiding created confusion in the chamber when Joseph Osei-Owusu overturned the ruling of Rt.Hon. Alban Bagbin, and approved the 2022 budget of the government. He did so by counting himself as a member of parliament to form a quorum after the minority side boycotted sitting that day.
According to the leader of the Minority group and legislator for Tamale South, the decision has depicted the judiciary’s support for the government to pass the E-levy.
“The judiciary of Ghana is failing parliamentary democracy in their inability to appreciate the true meaning of Article 110 of the Constitution. That Parliament shall by standing orders regulate its procedures. When we regulate our proceedings and reference is made to the 1992 Constitution and not standing orders of Parliament, especially standing order 13. ..This is judicial support for Nana Addo’s E-levy.”
The said ruling supported the Frist Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Joseph Osei Owusu’s position of defending his decisive vote in the approval of the 2022 budget though he was leading proceedings as the Speaker.
Mr Osei Owusu who is also the legislator for Bekwai on November 30 2021 overturned an initial vote of the house to reject the government’s 2022 budget.
This ruling on the case was brought to the court by law professor Justice Abdulai who did not understand why the Deputy Speaker should count himself as forming a quorum to vote on the budget and thus wanted clarity.
