The Minority in Parliament has served notice that it will take its debate on the energy crisis to the people if Parliament does not allow MPs to hold government accountable for its handling of the crisis.

The Minority Leader Alban Bagbin said his side will use other means, including public fora and news conferences to put across their concerns if they are denied the opportunity to debate the issue on the floor of the House.

The Speaker of Parliament Ebenezer Sekyi Hughes called off the much anticipated debate on the energy crisis on Wednesday after leadership of both sides failed to reach a compromise on a revised motion.

Four members of the majority side today filed an amendment to the Minority’s motion. But the Minority said it is not perturbed.

Three Minority MPs, who tabled the motion last week Friday, intended it to focus on the government’s failure in resolving the energy crisis. That debate was supposed to have lasted 30 minutes.

The debate was postponed because both sides of the House agreed they needed more time than the 30 minutes originally allocated. However it was revised for today’s debate, compelling the Majority to table a counter motion asking the House to commend the measures government is putting in place to address the crisis.

Under the rules of the House, if an amendment is proposed to an original motion, it would have to be debated first and put to a vote. If the House approves it, the original motion is thrown out.

But Mr Bagbin insisted that the motion was urgent. However the Deputy Majority Leader Abraham Osei Aidoo argued that the Minority had not followed due process.

“There is no indication that the motion is an urgent matter and therefore when the committee meets it would determine a date for it,” he said.

Even after the Speaker had called off the debate and the Deputy Majority Leader had moved for the House to adjourn the Minority Leader refused to second the motion prompting jeers from the Majority.

Outside the chamber Mr Bagbin told journalists his side would not relent in their quest to highlight government’s poor handling of the energy crisis.

“You can see the reasons why they are jittery about it. They went on air; we met them there and they run away. Now they are running away from the House too. We would let the people of Ghana hear,” he said.

He said: “If you are happy sleeping in darkness, I am not. If you are happy about the collapse of 33 companies, I am not. If you are happy with the fact that our youth who are struggling to learn are now using candles and it’s affecting their sights I am not.”

Abraham Osei Aidoo dismissed the Minority Leader’s claims that the Majority was running away from the issue at hand. He said Parliament’s rules must be followed strictly.

“Nobody is running away. They have not obeyed the rules and they come to the floor to engage in cheap technicalities,” he said.