Minority walk out of Parliament
Vote on Reconciliation Bill deferred
Minority walk out of Parliament
Accra (Greater Accra) 24 November 2001- The Minority on Friday walked out of Parliament in protest over what they called the persistent insulting language by Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, Attorney-General and the Minister of Justice when he was winding up the debate on the National Reconciliation Bill.
Mr Alban Bagbin, Minority Leader, told a hushed press conference that the Minister was the stumbling block to the reconciliation.
He accused him of being arrogant and insulting, saying he failed to tone down his temper despite the Speaker's effort to put him on track.
"The Minister kept referring to us as "these people" and said that the Majority would not accept a situation when amendments to the Reconciliation Bill would whittle or water down the intent of the Bill.
"What happens if the amendments are made that are not suitable to him? "By this declaration the Minister has already taken a stand only known to him on the Bill and we had to walk-out to register our protest against him", Mr Bagbin said.
He said when a Bill was enriched and passed by Parliament it seized to be the property of the executive and was called an Act of Parliament.
Mr Bagbin denied that the walkout was a planned one, saying the Minority would contact the Speaker who, according to him, was supportive of the Minority's earlier protests against the presentation of the Minister.
Earlier in summing up, Mr Bagbin said the Minority would make amendments to the Bill to make the reconciliation the country was yearning for genuine. Papa Owusu-Ankomah, Majority Leader said the government was prepared to listen and that note was taken of concerns expressed by members during the debate.
He said the government had shown the political will to reconcile the nation in sincerity, adding that commitment was irrevocable. Nana Akufo-Addo moved for the second reading of the bill on Tuesday and members of the House in their contributions maintained partisan positions.
The NPP said the period to be covered by the Bill should be only the military regimes while the NDC stood its ground that the period should cover all regimes since independence.
GRi…/
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Vote on Reconciliation Bill deferred
Accra (Greater Accra) 24 November 2001- Vote on the adoption of the report on the Reconciliation Bill scheduled for Friday has been deferred to Tuesday after the Minority walked out of the chamber in the dying minutes of the debate.
The NDC group said they found the Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo's language insulting hence their action.
The minister was winding up the debate for the vote to be taken. Papa Owusu Ankomah, Majority Leader, said: "We do not want to take a one-sided decision on this very important national exercise."
He said he tried to reach out to Mr Alban Bagbin, Minority Leader for a compromise as instructed by the Speaker but could not find him, adding that he was informed that they were meeting on the issue.
Mr Peter Ala Adjetey, Speaker, said: I thought that we could resolve this issue. I sent my usher to see him (Minority leader) but he did not find him. I thought that if I saw him, I would have remonstrated to him, if that is the right word, to ask his members to come back."
GRi…/
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