Kumawu MP rejects report ranking him among most absent legislators

The Member of Parliament for Kumawu, Ernest Yaw Anim, has disputed portions of a new parliamentary attendance report that ranked him among the most frequently absent MPs during the first session of 2025.

The report, which tracked 43 parliamentary sittings between January and March 2025, placed Mr. Anim third on the list with 21 recorded absences.

However, the MP insists that the figures are inaccurate and do not reflect his actual attendance record.

Speaking in an interview on Sunday, November 2, Mr. Anim explained that the mix-up likely resulted from confusion between his name and that of the late Ernest Yaw Kumi, who was then involved in a legal dispute over the Akwatia parliamentary seat.

“In some instances where I had questions relating to my constituency, they were mistakenly recorded in the Hansard under the name Ernest Yaw Kumi,” he said.

“There has clearly been confusion between the two names of Ernest Yaw Anim and Ernest Yaw Kumi. Although my brother is now late, if the records are checked, it will show that some of the absences attributed to me actually belong to Honourable Kumi.”

Mr. Anim also noted that his brief absence from Parliament following the death of his father may have been misinterpreted as extended absenteeism.

“During the first meeting of Parliament, I was bereaved. I lost my father, but I was away for only a few days because of funeral activities certainly no more than four,” he explained.

He further clarified that some of the recorded absences occurred when he was outside the country on official parliamentary assignments.

“As Chair of the Human Rights Committee, I have travelled several times on parliamentary business, not personal matters, reports like this should take such official duties into account. Otherwise, readers may wrongly assume I deliberately avoided sittings,” he said.

Mr. Anim has therefore urged Parliament to review its attendance records and improve coordination between the Hansard Department and MPs to prevent similar mix-ups in future reports.

Meanwhile, the Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, has directed parliamentary clerks to strengthen attendance monitoring and warned that persistent absenteeism could attract sanctions, including possible loss of seat, in line with parliamentary rules.