Parliament has adjourned sine dine to return on January 18 as it has abandoned the controversial E-Levy following a free-for-all brawl last night.
The Majority Leader Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu who moved the application for adjournment on Tuesday morning argued the move is to ensure a serene environment for consideration of the contentious E-Levy.
In supporting the motion, Minority Leader Haruna Iddrisu disclosed such a move will allow for further consultations on the vexed matter of E-levy. The meeting was presided over by the First Deputy Speaker, Joseph Osei Owusu.
Chaos broke out in parliament on Tuesday dawn during consideration of the controversial E-Levy bill as MPs engaged in a free for all fight.
Second deputy speaker Andrew Amoako Asiamah was compelled to preside over proceedings in the absence of speaker Bagbin who left after demands for the E-Levy bill to be tabled went unheeded.
The Minority called for a division when the deputy Speaker ruled the Majority had won a voice vote to carry a motion for the adoption of the report of the finance committee on the bill.
This resulted in the second deputy speaker suspending the house to the disagreements of the NDC MPs whose leader Haruna Iddrisu addressed the media to register his displeasure.
The majority through its deputy leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin accused speaker Alban Bagbin of deliberately abandoning parliament to enable the Minority to frustrate government business.
Sitting however resumed with first deputy speaker Joseph Osei-Owusu presiding who announced he would partake in the voting even as he presides despite standing order 109 barring him from doing so. This got the minority agitated. Chaos then broke out when he handed over the chair to the second deputy speaker who had voted to enable him to vote too.
The MPs started punching and headbutting each other bringing proceedings to a halt. The house then returned to adjourn proceedings to today.
Source: Kasapafmonline.com/Ibrahim Alhassan
