Boycott without Permission is Absent from Parliament: Speaker Cautions Minority

The Speaker of Parliament, Rt. Hon. Alban Kingsford Sumana Bagbin, has cautioned the Minority Caucus to adhere to proper procedures when exercising their constitutional right to boycott parliament.

In response to a matter raised by Hon. Okudzato Ablakwa, Member of Parliament (MP) for North Tongu, seeking the Speaker’s directive on why the votes and proceedings captured their boycott as “absent without permission,” Speaker Bagbin emphasized the legal consequences of such categorization under Article 97(1)(c) of the 1992 Constitution and Standing Order 16, which outlines how a member can vacate their seat in parliament.

“On the issue of attendance, Article 97(1)(c) is very clear. It says that a member of parliament shall vacate his seat in parliament (c) if he is absent without the written permission of the Speaker and he is unable to offer a reasonable explanation to the Parliamentary Committee on Privileges after missing 15 sittings of a parliamentary meeting,” the Speaker explained.

He further emphasized that the essence of the article is that a member can choose not to attend parliament, but if they want to be absent with permission, that permission must be granted by the Speaker in writing.

Bagbin clarified that the burden now falls on the Minority as a group to provide evidence that the Speaker has granted them written permission to be absent, as verbal permission is not sufficient.

The Speaker referred to the official report, which captured the Minority Leader’s statement that, whenever a colleague is attending court proceedings, they will show solidarity by being absent from parliament.

He highlighted that the Table Office was justified in marking them as absent on that particular day.

Story by Kwaku Boffah