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The intentions expressed by four Members of Parliament to contest the December 7, 2024 parliamentary elections in different capacities from the status on which they are presently in Parliament cannot be concluded as 'crossing carpet,' former President John Agyekum Kufuor has said,
He said Ghanaians were watching what was happening in the House of Parliament and therefore there was no need to use any "tactics" or "technicalities" to disturb the peace of the country when Ghanaians were well aware of how they want to vote for which side to lead the House.
Touching on the reasons for which the Speaker of Parliament, Alban S.K. Bagbin recently informed the House that four members have crossed carpet and that their seats have become vacant, a matter which was presently before the Supreme Court for interpretation of Article 97, Mr Kufuor said to him, he does not believe that it can be concluded that the said four Members of Parliament have crossed carpet in this present Parliament, since their intentions are geared towards the next Parliament, which starts on January 7, 2025.
To him, he does not understand why this issue should bring a standoff, for the matter to end at the Supreme Court.
If the Speaker has said he has not declared any seat vacant, he should therefore allow the status quo to remain for the sake of the country so that the present term of this Parliament can end beautifully.
Former President Kufuor said this in an interview with Asempa FM's Osei Bonsu on Friday [Nov 8, 2024].
He emphasised the importance of Speaker Bagbin’s role in resolving the impasse and called on him to prioritise stability and decorum in the House.
He warned that if left unchecked, the current situation could damage Bagbin’s reputation and undermine his contributions to Ghana’s political landscape.
I will plead with the Speaker of Parliament to step up and show leadership. What’s happening in parliament is embarrassing. It can destroy his illustrious record, he said.Mr Kufuor urged Speaker Bagbin to show leadership in the current parliamentary stand-off, describing the situation as embarrassing.
The former President said Speaker Bagbin has all the solutions to the current standoff in his bosom, and urged him to exercise strong leadership in the ongoing stand-off in Parliament over sitting arrangements.
He expressed disappointment over the situation, describing it as an “embarrassing” impasse that could tarnish Bagbin's career in the House of Parliament.
Mr Kufuor said the onerous was on Speaker Bagbin to maintain sanity in the House, especially when he has already explained that he has not made any ruling on the said four seats.
He said the Speaker should ask the members to allow the status quo to remain for everybody to sit at where they were originally sitting before the recent developments with only a few weeks to the end of the life of this Parliament.
He said the Speaker acknowledges that he is "number 3" in terms of the leadership structure in the country and with about a month to the end of the life of this Parliament, where he has served very well, he should not allow this development to tarnish the image of his "record."
He said the House needs to sit to be able to receive the President's last State of the Nation address, prepare transitional arrangements, the budget and other bills and this is the time to do all that.
