I haven’t received any invitation from Privileges Committee – Adwoa Safo

Member of Parliament (MP) for Dome Kwabenya, Sarah Adwoa Safo, has stated categorically that Parliament’s Privileges Committee has not served her to appear for a probe on absenteeism.

The legislator, who has been criticized for abandoning her ministry and parliamentary duties, says no information has officially reached her desk.

“I have served in parliament for over 12 years and a practising lawyer for 18 years. I know the rules but as I sit here, I have not been served. I’m just hearing it from you. No official document has come to me.

“I don’t have to be served through the media. I have to be served personally, and I don’t have to be served through third parties,” she said.

The Gender Minister said she was currently in the United States attending to pressing family issues and would return after attending to her sick son.

“As you can see, I am here in the United States taking care of my son, and I don’t know how I am supposed to appear before the committee. If the Speaker says you have been summoned to the Privileges Committee, the committee then sets its own modalities on when we are to appear but I don’t have any information on that,” she said in an interview on Joy News on Thursday, 26 May 2022.

Background

It will be recalled that on 5 April 2022, Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, referred three members of parliament to the Privileges Committee over absenteeism.

Dome Kwabenya MP Sarah Adwoa Safo, Assin Central MP Kennedy Agyepong, and Ayawaso Central MP Henry Quartey have absented themselves for more than 15 sittings.

Notices were reportedly served on the said MPs for the meeting which will be held in-camera, but Ms Adwoa Safo said she was unaware as she had not received any official invitation.

Ayawaso Central MP Henry Quartey was scheduled to be the first legislator expected before the house.

Per the arrangements, he will be followed by Dome Kwabenya MP Adwoa Safo, who is scheduled for 27 May 2022, and Assin Central MP Kennedy Agyapong on 31 May 2022.

The Ranking Member on the Committee, Ricketts Kweku Hagan, made this known before the hearing.

Explaining the rationale behind the dates selected, he said that “the committee got a response from the Assin Central legislator that he will be going for a medical review in the United States, hence the order in which the meeting has been arranged”.

Regarding the other two MPs, he said no official letter had been written to the Clerk informing the committee of their individual challenges.

“I expect that the two MPs are aware of what is going on, so they have no reason to be absent,” he added.

Responding to what happens if any MP fails to appear before the committee, he said the said MP would be in contempt of parliament.

“You are further complicating your situation because we are here to obey the constitution and follow what the Speaker says. As a member of parliament, we should know better, and this is a very serious matter which has to do with you.

“I don’t think it was easy for any of them to become an MP. You are here to serve your people, so there is a need to come here and explain yourself. It’s possible for one to be indisposed, but all those must be communicated,”

The issue of absenteeism came to light after  a former Member of Parliament for Kumbungu, Ras Mubarak, petitioned the Speaker in March 2022.

Mr. Mubarak cited four MPs: Dome Kwabenya MP, Sarah Adwoa Safo; Ayawaso Central MP, Henry Quartey; MP for Ahanta West, Ebenezer Kojo Kum; and Assin Central MP, Ken Ohene Agyapong.

He said the MPs had flouted provisions of Article 97 (1) (c) of the Constitution and Parliament’s Standing Order 16 (1), which frowns on members absenting themselves for 15 sitting days without permission from the Speaker.

Per Article 97(1)(c) of the 1992 Constitution, a Member of Parliament shall vacate his seat “if he is absent, without the permission in writing of the Speaker, and he is unable to offer a reasonable explanation to the Parliamentary Committee on Privileges from fifteen sittings of a meeting of Parliament during any period that Parliament has been summoned to meet and continues to meet.”