Speaker of Parliament Alban Bagbin has stated that decisions concerning the approval of the 2024 budget by Parliament will be taken next week.
Debate on the issue ended in a stalemate on Friday, November 30, 2023.
Prior to that, the Majority in Parliament staged a walkout during the approval, claiming the Speaker was conducting himself in an unfortunate and improper manner.
According to them, the Speaker, in his utterance following a voice vote on the floor, had ruled in favour of the Majority side only to beat a U-turn after the Minority had challenged the voice vote and demanded a headcount.
They further accused the Speaker of employing delay tactics to ensure that members on the Minority side who were not in the chamber could rush in to be counted after the Speaker had demanded that members stand after their names were mentioned to be counted.
However, making a case for his alleged U-turn, the Speaker said he had merely uttered an opinion and had not delivered a ruling.
He said, “So throughout the practice, when it’s an opinion, you say I think, I think, that is an opinion I’m expressing. I think the ayes have it. Now, an opportunity is created for somebody to challenge the opinion, and so when you read 113 (2), it doesn’t talk about the ruling. It talks about the opinion. That’s why it says a member may call for a headcount or division if the opinion of Mr Speaker on a voice vote is challenged.”
During proceedings on Friday, the Speaker directed the business committee to reschedule the headcount to next week for a final decision to be taken on the budget.
According to him, the matter is not up for debate.
“We don’t have to debate this matter. It is a matter of record, and I direct that the business committee should reschedule the issue for next week for us to finally take a decision on the budget. The budget statement and economic policy of the government for the year 2024 is still before the house and so the business committee will reschedule it for next week,” he said.
