Economist and New Patriotic Party (NPP) stalwart, Kwame Pianim says he refuses to ascribe Members of Parliament the title 'Honourable' due to their unruly actions displayed in the House recently.

Addressing Ghanaians at the launch of the John Evans Atta-Mills Memorial Heritage in Accra on Tuesday, Mr Pianim noted that the scuffle witnessed across the globe will have a toll on Ghana's reputation as the beacon of democracy.

According to the former government official, he will revert to calling MPs honourable only when they render an apology to the people of Ghana for their inappropriate actions.

"I now refuse to address any Parliamentarian as honourable. (They are) dimming Ghana's bright brand as a beacon of democracy so I will not address any of them as honourable until they apologize to the nation," he said.

Mr Kwame Pianim encouraged politicians to emulate the actions of former President, John Evans Atta-Mills. He noted that the late professor prioritised the interest of the people over the interest of his political party.

"Professor Mills didn't see political colours. We need people to go across the political divide and Mills definitely had crossed the political divide."

The year of fisticuffs

Following the 2020 general elections, Ghanaians on January 7, 2021, observed MPs engage in unruly behaviour during the election of Speaker for the 8th Parliament.

NDC MPs-elect in the House began jubilating after claiming their nominee, Alban Sumani Bagbin had won the Speakership position by two votes.

This apparently triggered MP-elect for Tema West, Carlos Kingsley Ahenkorah, on the NPP side to snatch ballot papers from the hands of the parliamentary official. He bolted through the exit of the chamber amidst resistance from his colleagues.

Memes were created by Ghanaians as they registered their displeasure over the scene in Parliament.

Heading to the end of 2021, government's 2022 budget and the controversial electronic transaction levy (E-levy) triggered further scuffles.

On December 1, 2021, the House became divided after the First Deputy Speaker, Joseph Osei-Owusu threw out a motion by the Minority who were seeking to have the approval of the fiscal policy rescinded.

The agitated NDC MPs started shouting unprintable words at the Deputy Speaker. But their counterparts across the aisle retaliated.

The Speaker was forced to suspend the sitting for an hour. During the break, Ghanaians witnessed a tussle between the two sides. The chaos lasted for close to 10 minutes.

Following this, Parliament apologised to Ghanaians for the chaotic scenes that characterised proceedings.

"We apologise for what may not sit well with people, we promise that as much as possible, we will work together, bearing in mind the nuances and cultural sensibilities of the people that we serve,” the legislature’s Director of Public Affairs, Kate Addo told JoyNews.

However, on December 20, MPs resorted to violence once again to settle their differences.

The House sat to deliberate the E-levy Bill and decide whether the bill should be accepted under a certificate of urgency or not. The sitting which was presided over by Joseph Osei-Owusu turned chaotic.

This, according to reports was because the Minority side attempted to prevent the Deputy Speaker from vacating his chair to participate in the headcount voting process.

This resulted in a clash between the two sides in Parliament. Some MPs threw their fists while others fell to the ground. Proceeding was then adjourned due to the misconduct.

Meanwhile, both the Majority and Minority Groups are calling for an end to violence in the chamber. Majority Chief Whip, Annoh-Dompreh, has said that MPs who engage in acts of violence in the House should be prosecuted as any criminal would be per the 1992 Constitution.

"I will insist if this thing [scuffle in Parliament] happens again, that all the people involved must face the full rigours of the law. They must be treated as any criminal anywhere and all these MPs [who engage] in such acts must lose their privileges.”

According to Mahama Ayariga, who is a member of the NDC Caucus, it is unacceptable for Members of Parliament to resort to violence whenever they fail to reach a consensus over a matter.

“We should not have situations where in Parliament we have to defend with fisticuffs. That’s not acceptable, that’s not a good impression to create, that’s not a good example to create of what should be the conduct of leaders in our country.”