Ablakwa charges Parliament to devise mechanism to detect absenteeism

The Member of Parliament (MP) for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa has charged Parliament to institute mechanisms to detect MPs who absent themselves from Parliament without Speaker’s permission.

This follows the recent hue and cry from some members of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) for the suspension of Dome Kwabenya MP, Adwoa Safo due to her consistent absence in Parliament.

The Legislator noted that his checks reveal other MPs aside Adwoa Safo have absented themselves from Parliament without the Speaker’s permission but the House has not been able to detect that.

Speaking to JoyNews, he said the inability of the House to fish out MPs who absent themselves from Parliament is worrying.

“We must as an institution put in place internal mechanisms to check this because if I had not gone through the votes and proceedings, the other two MPs would have gotten away with it…we have this dysfunctional system where people can really go wayward and the system cannot even detect it. I am more worried about that. How is it that Parliament, the Speaker’s office, the entire institution cannot detect such things?” he told Kwesi Parker-Wilson.

According to him, the House as an institution must engage in some reforms to put finality to such bad conduct by Members of Parliament.

“I think that we need to carry out a retrospection and we need to put in place the necessary checks because if people realise that they can do this and get away with it, then it’s an incentive for bad behavior. I want to see Parliament carry out institutional reforms so that internally we would be able to detect this once the fifteen-day mark is crossed,” he stated.

Meanwhile, the North Tongu MP, has said he will drag three Members of Parliament (MPs) before the Privileges Committee for their absenteeism without the Speaker’s permission.

According to Okudzeto Ablakwa, there are two other NPP MPs who have absented themselves from Parliament above the fifteen days deadline, just like the MP for Dome-Kwabenya, Adwoa Safo.

The two other MPs he called out are; Ayawaso Central MP, Henry Quartey and Assin Central MP, Kennedy Agyapong.

“I am saying that I welcome the discussion on the need for all Members of Parliament to take their work seriously for us to eschew absenteeism and to punish same. Therefore, let us apply the law fairly in a non-discriminatory manner and let us ensure that the Privileges Committee when they come to sit on the matter relating to absenteeism, sit and consider all three MPs. So the matter must be put in a context that is fair, balanced and non-discriminatory,” he told Evans Mensah on Top Story on Tuesday.

Adwoa Sarfo’s absence in Parliament

The Dome Kwabenya MP has been absent from Parliament since the House resumed sitting this year.

She has also not been engaged in any government business for a while following an extension of her leave which was granted by the President in October last year.

The absence of the Dome-Kwabenya MP has raised concerns among the party’s rank-and-file amidst calls for her suspension and dismissal from the party.

Adwoa Safo impersonated?

Adwoa Safo later became the subject of public debate some months ago following allegations by the Minority that she was impersonated during Parliamentary proceedings on November 30, 2021, because the Majority side needed the numbers at all cost to approve the 2022 budget.

The controversy escalated when videos and photos of a woman believed to be an imposter at the proceedings in Parliament went viral on social media.

In the video, the woman was seen wearing a nose mask, leaving the chamber right after the headcount which led to the approval of the budget statement.

Adwoa Safo deactivates her TikTok account after backlash on Parliamentary absenteeism

After the approval of the budget, she has failed to show up in Parliament since.

The Minority MPs say they are investigating a suspected case of impersonation.

According to the Minority MP for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa after reviewing footage of the sitting it was becoming apparent that there may have been a case of impersonation of the Dome Kwabenya MP.

Source: Ghana News