The Member of Parliament for Walewale, Dr Kabiru Tiah Mahama, has withdrawn his description of Speaker Alban Bagbin’s decision to recall Parliament as “rude” and apologised to the Speaker and the House.
The apology followed a rebuke from Speaker Bagbin during Parliament’s emergency sitting on Tuesday, September 29, after the Speaker addressed comments made by the MP during a press engagement on the recall.
Mr Bagbin said MPs were entitled to criticise his decisions but cautioned that such criticism should not undermine the dignity of Parliament or the authority of the Speaker’s office.
“A member may criticise the Speaker’s judgment in exercising it, but criticism of the exercise of a constitutional or procedural function should not descend into language which is disrespectful of the office through which that function is exercised,” he said.
The Speaker explained that the recall was carried out under Order 58(4) of Parliament’s Standing Orders following a request from President John Dramani Mahama for the House to consider specified urgent matters.
He said MPs could question decisions and challenge procedures they considered wrong but maintained that such disagreements must be expressed without diminishing the institutions through which Ghana’s democracy operates.
Mr Bagbin subsequently asked Dr Tiah Mahama to withdraw the expression and apologise to the House and the Speaker.
In response, the Walewale MP acknowledged using the word during a press conference and said he had misunderstood its meaning.
“Even though I thought the meaning to mean sadly and unpleasantly, as my dictionary told me, but
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