‘Parliament lied’ – Muntaka confirms 2 MPs tested positive for coronavirus

Hours after Parliament’s Public Affairs Department denied reports that two MPs have tested positive for coronavirus, a leader in the chamber has confirmed, the reports are true.

Minority Chief Whip Mubarak, Mohammed Muntaka, also confirmed 13 staff have also tested positive as reported.

In an interview on Joy Prime, hosted by Daniel Dadzie, and monitored by theghanareport.com, he said the infected MPs were told of their status, prompting the Speaker’s directive for mandatory testing for all MPs and staff of parliament.

He said when he saw the statement from the Public Affairs Department, he called its Director, Kate Addo, to find out whether she indeed signed the statement and she confirmed doing so.

The outspoken MP said he would have handled the issue differently by telling the media that the testing was not over, hence they should wait until Saturday for detailed information, instead of lying about it.

“When you go and lie to the people who pay us, you are endangering the lives of the staff, the parliamentarians and the general public.”

“I’m saying this with a lot of pain because national interest must be protected at all times,” he said.

Two MPs test positive for COVID-19

Kate Addo ,who heads Parliament’s Public Affairs Department, said yesterday that the reports were “not true”.

“Officially Parliament is unaware of any such call and therefore there hasn’t been any official figures giving by the National COVID-19 response team,” her statement read.

The Majority leader Osei Kyei Mensa-Bonsu would also tell Accra-based Citi FM that he could not confirm or deny the reports.

“The Director of Parliaments Medical Services is the only person who will know if any Member of Parliament test positive for COVID-19 and the information then will be transmitted to the individual Member of Parliament or staff,” he said.

Ghana’s Parliament is the second in Africa to have tested its MPs for covid-19 after Botswana. The Southern African country placed all members of the legislature, including the President, under quarantine after a nurse at a special session the previous day tested positive for COVID-19.

The Speaker of Parliament, Prof. Mike Aaron Ocquaye, on May 19 directed the Parliamentary Service Board to take steps to ensure all members of Parliament are tested for COVID-19.

The decision, the Speaker said, was part of measures to ensure that all MPs were safe during the period of COVID-19 outbreak in Ghana.

Addressing the parliamentarians, the Speaker assured the lawmakers that all necessary steps would be taken to protect them against the disease.
“Now that we have an arrangement with Star Ghana, we are participants in public education as indeed MPs must do. Could you imagine members going to educate the public only for us to be seen by the public doing otherwise? It would be most unfortunate.

Speaker directs COVID-19 testing for all MPs

The Speaker’s directive comes on the heel of MPs and governors in countries including South Africa, Cameroun, Nigeria and Tanzania contracting the disease.