During a vote on the controversial E-levy bill in parliament on Monday night, some MPs exchanged punches.
The minority became enraged when the presiding Speaker, Joe Osei-Owusu, attempted to leave the chair to cast his vote on whether the E-levy bill should be taken under a certificate of urgency.
The minority had argued that the Speaker of Parliament does not have a casting vote under parliament’s standing orders, but Joe Osei Owusu stated that he would still vote.
During the incident, hundreds of opposition politicians engaged in fisticuffs with their majority party colleagues, while some parliament personnel attempted to safeguard the Speaker’s seat and the mace of parliament from attack.
The Minority in Parliament declared earlier that it will continue to oppose the passage of the electronic transaction levy when it comes up for a vote in the plenary.
According to Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson, Ranking Member of Parliament’s Finance Committee, the minority will no longer engage in negotiation and would outright reject the bill.
He then stated that, the Minority side demanded that the government meet with the numerous stakeholders who have objected to the charge, including the Telecommunication Chamber, to listen to their concerns, but the majority side balked.
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Source: GhanaWish.com
