Former NDC MP for Tamale Central, Inusah Abdulai Bistav Fuseini says he doubts if parliament will support a referral of three MPs to the Privileges Committee of the House by Speaker Alban Bagbin for absenteeism. 

According to him, the move by the Speaker, which is intended to check incessant absence in Parliament is “questionable” and likely to be overturned by the House.

Inusah Fuseini explained that both sides of the House are likely to unite and vote for a motion filed by the Minority Chief Whip, Mohammed-Mubarak Muntaka, against the Speaker’s ruling.
 
“You will see a united parliament against the Speaker," he said.
 
MPs to the privileges committee
 
Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin has referred three New Patriotic Party (NPP) MPs – Dome/Kwabenya MP, Sarah Adwoa Safo; Assin Central MP, Kennedy Agyapong and Ayawaso Central MP, Henry Quartey – to the Privileges Committee of the House after he was petitioned by former MP, Ras Mubarak to remove the MPs for absenting themselves for more than 15 consecutive sittings.

Mohammed-Mubarak Muntaka has filed a motion challenging the Speaker’s ruling, saying that it is only an MP who can start a procedure to remove a sitting MP per the rules.
 
Muntaka’s motion excellent  
 
Nonetheless, Inusah Fuseini lauded Muntaka’s reason to challenge the Speaker's decision.
 
“Parliament Standing Orders says that if a Speaker makes a ruling the only way to challenge him is to come by a substantive motion,” he explained.

Speaker’s referral will be revoked?
 
Mr Fuseini further said, "If the Speaker admits the motion a date will be set for a debate and the motion will be debated and after the debate Members of Parliament will vote and if a majority of the members think that the Speaker is right then the decision stands."
 
“However, if they think that the decision is wrong then the decision will be revoked.”
 
Adding that, “I suspect that the decision will be revoked. Let me explain why, Muntaka Mubarak is the Minority Chief Whip so he will be deemed to be speaking for the minority, he is so important that you cannot do without him, so it will be difficult to go against the whip’s decision.
 
“Again, the majority – all the three members are from the majority, if their seat is vacant, they will suffer and so they have a reason to prevent the suffering.”

MPs Are Moonlighting

The former NDC MP also raised concerns over the increasing rate of absenteeism in Parliament and attributed the routine lack of quorum on the floor of the House to the phenomenon.

Whiles describing the high levels of absenteeism as worrying and a setback to the work of Parliament, he intimated that some MPs are deserting the work of the House for their private businesses.

He disclosed that in the last Parliament for instance, there was an MP who absented himself from a full session without recourse to the Speaker.

“As a former member of the legislature, I am adequately informed that many MPs are moonlighting,” the former MP revealed.

“This is a worrying situation in the House and nobody seems to be talking about it . . . it is the reason Parliament is all the time greeted with empty chairs when proceedings are shown on television . . . Going forward there will be some form of accountability among MPs who are members of the article 75 officeholders. How can you not be going to work and still be drawing salaries from the Consolidated Fund?" he queried.