The Speaker of Parliament, Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin has condemned the alleged attack on the National Anti-Illegal Mining Operations Secretariat (Anti-Galamsey Task Force) in Asutifi South, assuring the nation that the legislative body will not shield any member from the rule of law.
The Speaker’s strong statement followed allegations that the attack on security officers was incited by the Member of Parliament for Asutifi North, Ebenezer Kwikwadu, who also allegedly implicated the Member of Parliament for Asutifi North, a senior member of the House, Collins Dauda.
“The report of attacks on the task force established to combat illegal mining activities is most worrying,” the Speaker stated. “The people of Ghana look to this House as a beacon of hope and it is our collective duty to set a standard that reflects the values of our great nation.”
Providing an update on the matter, the Speaker confirmed he had instructed the Office of the Clerk and Legal Services to offer all necessary support to the ongoing Ghana Police Service investigation.
The Majority Leader, Mahama Ayariga later confirmed the swift process of accountability, detailing that after voluntarily submitting to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), the MP in question was escorted by the Majority Chief Whip, Rockson Nelson Etse Dafeamekpor and counsel this morning.
“I received a call not quite long ago that he has been taken to court,” the Majority Leader said. “And as we speak, he is actually in court, being arraigned.”
This unprecedented move of an MP being taken to court while the House is in session was used to firmly dispel any perception that members of Parliament are above the law.
The Speaker used the formal communication to deliver a pointed clarification on parliamentary immunities, emphasizing they are granted for “good reason” but must be exercised with responsibility.
“Let it not be said anywhere that members of Parliament are being shielded from the rule of law. Not at all,” the Speaker insisted. “I want it to be made clear once more that these privileges are not absolute. They must be exercised with responsibility and in accordance with the laws of the land.”
The Majority Leader echoed this, stating, “We do not consider ourselves being above the law. We will not be calling on you to shield us in any way.” He added that the accused member and Collins Dauda have both flatly denied the allegations of instigation.
In a commendable intervention, the Minority Leader, Alexander Afenyo-Markin shifted the focus from the disciplinary issue to the national crisis of illegal mining, issuing a strong rebuke to the country’s political class.
“The matter you have just raised is one thing that for the want of a better word, I must say, that we as political leaders, active stakeholders of this democracy, have failed,” the Minority Leader stated, without mincing words.
He lamented that the fight against galamsey has been allowed to become a partisan matter, leading to tragic consequences. He pointed to data showing the devastating impact on cocoa production and the heavy financial cost of water treatment due to contaminated water bodies.
Afenyo-Markin urged all political actors to immediately set aside partisan differences and deal with the issue collectively, labeling it a “collective, not an NDC-NPP affair, but a Ghana affair.”
“We cannot be looking at the political convenience and the gains. Do we want to be burying people every weekend? This calls for action, collective,” he concluded.
Parliament assured all Ghanaians and security agencies of its full cooperation in the current investigation and all other pending investigations involving its members.
Story By: Eugenia Ewoenam Osei
