The General Secretary of the New Patriotic Party, John Boadu, has launched a scathing attack on the Speaker of Parliament, Rt. Hon. Alban Kingsford Bagbin, saying his recent comments are a clear indication that he is suffering from an inferiority complex.
Speaking to party members in Mankessim, Mr Boadu said it is obvious that Bagbin is overwhelmed by his current status because he never dreamt of becoming the Speaker of Ghana’s Parliament.
“The Speaker talks anyhow, now he even says he can remove the president but the president cannot remove him. He has forgotten that even if the president will be impeached he as a Speaker doesn’t have a vote but he is just boasting.
“I don’t know what is wrong with him, he has [inferiority] complex, he is overwhelmed by his current status so sometimes he says things that do not make sense but we have to indulge him,” Mr Boadu said.
The comments by Mr Boadu comes after the Speaker recently said the law gives Parliament the powers to remove a president but does not give the same powers to a president to be able to remove a Speaker of Parliament.
Speaking at the post-budget forum held at Ho in the Volta Region over the weekend, Mr Bagbin was concerned that Parliament approves budgets that benefit the executive more than the legislature and the judiciary.
“This year, all the laws we have been passing are laws we passed to benefit the executive, even we forget about Parliament in the language we use, this is self-inflicted; it is not a deficiency in the constitution, it’s a deficiency in Parliament itself. We must correct it”, he said.
He also reminded the Members of Parliament of the powers they wield in law and that they must as Parliament be able to stand for themselves and not to play to the whims and caprices of the executive. He cited for example that the house has powers to remove the president from office.
“Let me reemphasize that the 8th Parliament is properly positioned not to allow itself to be bullied into playing second fiddle to the executive. Parliament can remove His Excellency the President; His Excellency cannot do that to Parliament. As Speaker, His Excellency cannot remove me, but I can through Parliament get him [the president] removed”.
Source: Ghana/Starrfm.com.gh/103.5FM
