Minority, Majority Clash Over SONA Debate Rules
Minority Leader insists on traditional debating methods, sparking a heated confrontation in Parliament
- Opposition argues it goes against parliamentary precedent
- Majority Leader cites previous House agreement on the new format
- Disagreement intensifies over the method of debating the State of the Nation Address
The Minority in Parliament has strongly opposed the proposed proportional debate model for the State of the Nation Address (SONA).
Through its leadership, the Minority emphasized that parliamentary practice and precedent have never supported debates being based on numerical strength.
Minority Leader, Mr. Alexander Afenyo-Markin, firmly stated that his caucus would not accept this approach from the Majority.
He further noted that the second Deputy Speaker, who had presided over last week’s proceedings, had pointed out the need for further discussions on the matter and proposed that the leadership of both sides meet to make a final decision.
In response, Majority Leader, Mr. Mahama Ayariga, countered that the House had collectively adopted the business committee’s report last week, which included the proportional debate format for SONA discussions.
He also noted that the Minority’s proposal from the previous Friday, which suggested having five members from each side debate the SONA, had been rejected by his side.
The Minority Chief Whip added that the Majority Leader had misled the House by claiming that the discussions on the debate format were finalized after his arrival.
According to the Minority, all decisions regarding the debate format had been made prior to the Majority Leader’s attendance at last week’s meeting, implying that the disagreement stemmed from misinformation.
