Members of Parliament from the National Democratic Congress (NDC) have announced their commitment to safeguarding their new majority status in Parliament following the declaration of four vacant seats last Thursday. They plan to swiftly repeal the Electronic Levy (E-Levy) on mobile money transactions and the betting tax. Speaking at a press conference on Sunday, October 20, their leader, Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson, stated that the NDC will leverage its newly gained numbers to implement policies aimed at alleviating the economic burden on Ghanaians.
“The NDC now constitutes the Majority Caucus in this 8th Parliament. We will jealously protect our new majority status, and we will not bow, retreat, or surrender our lawfully earned position,” Dr Forson stated. He promised that the NDC would use its majority to remove the E-Levy through a Private Members’ Bill and the betting tax emphasising that the move is aimed at reducing the suffering caused by the tax.
The shift in parliamentary power follows Speaker Alban Bagbin’s declaration of four seats vacant after the MPs involved chose to run as independent candidates in the upcoming elections. Mr Bagbin in his ruling said by the action of the MPs and in reference to Article 97 of the Constitution they have vacated their seats.
This have however been challenged by the New Patriotic Party (NPP) side and they have subsequently secured a stay of execution from the Supreme Court to prevent the implementation of the Speaker’s ruling until a final determination of the matter, which has also been filed at the Supreme Court for interpretation.
However, at Sunday’s press conference, the NDC side stated they were not aware of any Supreme Court directive and as far as they were concerned, they were going by the Speaker’s ruling and argued that the Speaker’s ruling was valid and expressed the party’s full support for Speaker Bagbin.
“We are confident that the Right Honourable Speaker has acted fairly, firmly, and lawfully in a matter well within his jurisdiction,” Dr Forson added. He explained that the new changes have left the New Patriotic Party (NPP) with 135 seats, while the NDC now holds 136 seats, making them the majority. “We will use our majority to protect businesses and the people of Ghana, as we have always promised,” Forson said.
By: Mohammed Ali
