A prominent member of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Odeneho Kwaku Appiah, has criticized Speaker of Parliament Alban Sumana Bagbin for suspending four Members of Parliament.
According to Odeneho, popularly known as Coka, the Speaker should have granted the MPs a fair hearing before imposing any punishment if they were found guilty.
He expressed his opinion in a post shared on social media.
“What happened last week in Parliament’s appointment committee, where chaos erupted and furniture and microphones got destroyed, must be condemned by all, but the truth must be told to Speaker Bagbin that his decision to suspend the 4 MPs based on what transpired is wrong and cannot be allowed to stay.
Even President JDM hasn’t got the power to punish someone without due process of the law. You cannot form a committee to investigate the matter and just before the committee starts its work, give sanctions to perceived perpetrators. The right to be heard before punishment is a fundamental right, so Mr. Speaker, please come back again. Coka, I care”.
This position has been expressed by the minority in Parliament who believe that the decision must be reversed for a fair hearing to be given to their members.
