A standoff erupted in Parliament on Tuesday July 15 after the Minority Caucus staged a walkout in protest against a decision by the Majority to exclude the media from covering proceedings involving the Governor of the Bank of Ghana.
The Governor had appeared before Parliament to answer questions from Members of Parliament, but tensions flared when journalists were directed to leave the chamber before the session began.
The Minority, led by its spokesperson on the economy, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, argued that the decision undermined transparency and denied Ghanaians the opportunity to hear the Governor’s responses to critical economic issues.
Addressing journalists after the walkout, Oppong Nkrumah said the Minority had intended to question the Governor on what it described as concerns over the credibility of some economic figures released by the central bank.
“There are questions about the credibility of some of the figures that they have been putting out, that we are going to put to him, and they don’t want you to hear the answers,” he stated.
He announced that the Minority had suspended its participation in the proceedings in protest against the media ban.
“We are here to inform you this afternoon that as a result of their decision not to allow you to cover, we have suspended our participation. Our leadership will continue to engage so that they do the right thing,” he said.
Oppong Nkrumah questioned why the media was being excluded when previous appearances by the Bank of Ghana Governor before Parliament had been broadcast live.
“In times past where the Governor has been here, you have been in the chamber to cover live. Various stations have covered it live. What is it that they are afraid of that now they don’t want you to cover?” he asked.
He also cited previous parliamentary proceedings involving the Chairperson of the Electoral Commission, during which journalists were allowed to provide live coverage.
According to him, although parliamentary rules permit the House to decide whether proceedings should be open or closed, there was no justification for restricting public access in a matter involving national accountability.
“The rules say that we have a right to open it up or not, but you have nothing to hide. In the precedent gone by, it was opened to the public. We are astonished and disappointed that they don’t want the media to cover the responses that the Governor is about to give,” he said.
The former Information Minister stressed that Parliament is “the people’s house” and should operate with maximum transparency, especially on matters concerning the country’s economy.
“This is the house of accountability. This is the people’s house. This is where the people must hear the answers to all of these questions,” he stated.
He further questioned why proceedings that had been publicly advertised were suddenly being held behind closed doors.
“Today, as we advertise the practice of an open Parliament, why do you want to close questions that have been advertised and answers advertised to the public? We leave the jury out to decide,” he added.
The Minority leadership says it will continue engaging the Majority in an effort to have the proceedings reopened to the media, insisting that Ghanaians deserve to follow the Governor’s responses to issues affecting the country’s economy.
The Majority has not yet publicly explained the reason for excluding the media from the proceedings. Meanwhile, the disagreement has sparked debate over transparency, accountability and public access to parliamentary oversight sessions.
By 1960news.com
