Minority Chief Whip and Member of Parliament for Nsawam-Adoagyiri, Frank Annoh-Dompreh, has called for calm and constructive engagement among parliamentary leadership following disruptions linked to quorum issues during the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) proceedings.
His intervention came on Wednesday on the floor of the Parliament of Ghana, shortly after concerns were raised by the Chairperson of the Public Accounts Committee and Member of Parliament for Atiwa East, Abena Osei-Asare, regarding challenges affecting committee sittings.
Addressing the House, Annoh-Dompreh rejected suggestions that the Minority alone was responsible for raising quorum issues, stressing that quorum is a constitutional right available to all Members of Parliament.
According to him, invoking quorum should not be politicised or attributed to any particular side of the House, as it forms part of the procedural safeguards embedded in parliamentary practice.
“Raising quorum on the floor is not peculiar to one side of the House,” he stated, explaining that both the Constitution and the Standing Orders of Parliament provide Members with the right to demand the presence of the required number of MPs before proceedings can continue.
The Minority Chief Whip further revealed that concerns had been raised by members of the committee, who he said expressed frustration over how the situation had been handled.
He described the development as avoidable, noting that better coordination among leadership could have prevented the disruption.
According to Annoh-Dompreh, the matter should not have escalated to the level of drawing in the Speaker, insisting that leadership within the committee—including the Chair, Ranking Member, and Whips—should have engaged earlier to resolve the issue internally.
He also pointed out the inconvenience caused to invited stakeholders and officials who were already present and waiting to participate in the proceedings.
“It cannot be that stakeholders are waiting and Parliament is not sitting,” he remarked, highlighting the need for Parliament to respect the time and expectations of those invited to appear before its committees.
Annoh-Dompreh therefore called for immediate dialogue among committee leadership to find a workable solution that would allow proceedings to continue without further delay.
He suggested that arrangements could be made to excuse waiting officials temporarily while Parliament resolves its internal challenges.
The intervention reflects ongoing procedural tensions within Parliament, particularly around quorum requirements and the smooth functioning of committees such as the Public Accounts Committee, which plays a critical role in ensuring accountability in the use of public funds.
