Ernesto Yeboah under arrest

A FORMER National Youth Organiser of the Convention People’s Party (CPP), Ernesto Yeboah, was arrested yesterday in Parliament by security men in the chamber for disrupting proceedings of the House.

He continuously shouted ‘drop that chamber!’ on top of his voice, which forced the security men to arrest him.

He was leading a group of people from a pressure group known as ‘Economic Fighters League’ to protest against plans by Parliament to construct a new chamber from the public gallery where he was seated with two other members of his group.

They were whisked away to the Parliament Police Station where they are currently held for unlawfully disrupting proceedings of Parliament.

Ernesto Yeboah said no matter the consequences of his arrest, he would continue to speak against the construction of the intended chamber for Parliament.

His interruption came after the National Democratic Congress (NDC) Member of Parliament (MP) for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, raised the issue of the new chamber and urged the leadership of the House to properly brief all MPs on the matter.

According to Mr. Ablakwa, MPs needed to be well informed to educate their constituents on the 450-seat chamber.

The New Patriotic Party (NPP) MP for Suhum, Frederick Opare-Ansah, supported the call by the North Tongu MP and pleaded with the leadership to have a joint caucus meeting to brief all MPs about the new chamber.

The NPP MP for Adansi Asokwa, K.T. Hammond, however, justified the construction of the new chamber, saying, “Parliament is the pillar of democratic governance.”

Mr. Hammond said it was not necessary for MPs to be informed about the construction of the new chamber since the Parliamentary Service Board had taken a decision on it, stressing that “Parliament cannot sit under tree”.

It was during the Adansi Asokwa MP’s submission that Ernesto Yeboah jumped to his feet and started shouting ‘drop that chamber!’, ‘drop that chamber!’ which prompted his immediate arrest.

Members of his group massed up at the police station to solidarise with him.

Meanwhile, the leadership of Parliament led by Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, Majority Leader, at a press briefing on Thursday, hinted that the plan could be shelved if members of the public were not comfortable with it even though MPs represented their interests in Parliament.

Minority Leader Haruna Iddrisu said the decision by the Parliamentary Service Board, of which he was a member, to construct the chamber, was inconclusive, so members of the public, as well as MPs, should not criticise Parliament.