GRi in Parliament
25 - 02 - 2002
Peter
Ala Adjetey is President
Accra
(Greater Accra) 25 February 2002 - Peter Ala Adjetey, Speaker of Parliament was
at mid-night Sunday sworn in as Acting President of Ghana for three days during
the absence of President John Agyekum Kufuor and the Vice-President Aliu Mahama
from the country.
Mr Edward
Kwame Wiredu, Chief Justice, administered the oath of allegiance and that of
the Presidency in Parliament, which was swiftly convened under a state of
emergency, invoking the provisions of the Constitution.
Mr. Adjetey
is to act from February 25 to February 28th when Vice President Mahama is
expected to return from Mecca, where he is leading a Ghanaian delegation to the
Hajj. President Kufuor left Accra on Sunday night for Australia to attend the
Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) and would return on March 10.
Inviting
the Chief Justice to administer the Oaths, the Speaker said he had received a
letter dated February 21 from President Kufuor informing him that he would be
out of the country and since Parliament was on recess at the weekend it was
necessary to reconvene for it to undertake its legislative duties.
"It is
unusual to invite members to attend to duty of the nation at this time of the
night', he said, noting that after being sworn in: "It will not be proper
for me to preside over this House"
Just as the
Speaker was to be sworn in Papa Owusu-Ankomah, the Majority Leader and Minister
of Parliamentary Affairs, rose on a point of order and asked the Speaker, who
had vacated the chair that since the chair was not to be vacant it was proper
that the First Deputy Speaker, Mr Freddie Blay should be made to take over.
Amidst
shouts of Mr President from the well-represented House, Mr Adjetey took over
the chair again and invited Mr Blay to take the chair. Papa Owusu-Ankomah and
Mr Alban Bagin, the Minority Leader commended both sides of the House for
responding favourably to the call of duty.
Papa
Owusu-Ankomah said: "Our democracy is founded on institutions and not on
personalities. Honourable members have
demonstrated that when it comes to national call to duty they will rise to
discharge their responsibilities."
It was in
order that the Leadership of the House should give support to the Speaker for
his temporary elevation as the Acting President, he said. Mr Bagbin said the
massive response of members to present themselves in the House; "shows our
commitment to serve the nation in developing her democratic process".
Mr Bagbin
humorously said the Acting President should undertake a Cabinet reshuffle for
the three days that he would be in office so that he would set a record adding;
"he should not come back to the House without any record."
Looking at
Yaw Osafo-Maafo, Minister of Finance, straight in the face, Mr Bagbin said,
"we must start the debate on the budget now." Mr. Osafo-Marfo shot up
thumbing the table and said "I am more than ready for the debate right
now".
GRi.../
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