Angry Speaker suspends sitting over Fisheries minister's absence
October 24, 2019

The Speaker of Parliament, Prof Mike Oquaye, on Thursday, 24 October 2019 suspended sitting over the absence of the Minister of Fisheries, Elizabeth Afoley Quaye, to answer some questions posed by some MPs.

Prof Oquaye also sent officials from the Office of the Clerk of Parliament to go hunt down the minister’s deputy, Mr Kingsley Ato Cudjoe to come to the house and stand in the stead of his boss.

The questions were asked by Nsawam-Adoagyiri MP Frank Annoh-Dompreh and South Dayi MP Rockson-Nelson Dafeamekpor. They have to do with the payment of contractors who executed contracts in restocking of selected dams, a tax waiver on aquaculture input materials and the construction of a fish landing site at Dzemeni.

Class91.3FM’s parliamentary correspondent Ekow Annan reported that Mrs Afoley Quaye, according to Majority Leader Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, is “out of the jurisdiction”, thus, the Speaker’s directive that her deputy be hauled to the house.

He wondered why nobody could hold the fort for the minister when, in his view, there were competent people at the ministry who could easily fill in her shoes.

Prof Oquaye used the incident to issue a stern warning to all ministers to make it a point to honour invitations sent to them by the Chamber.