Tamale North Member of Parliament, Alhassan Suhuyini is accusing Speaker Prof. Mike Ocquaye of unfair treatment. 

This follows what he says is the rejection of seven statements he had submitted to be delivered on the floor of parliament. 

In an unusual move, Suhuyini addressed a media briefing on Thursday to complain about the issue. 

“This briefing involves what I believe to be continuous unfairness done to me. I hold before me a statement, the seventh that I had presented to be read on the floor in the course of last session and this session, which had all been turned down without any reason given to me,” he told the media. 

The Tamale North MP says some of the statements which bothered on floods in his constituency and mob injustice were sometimes accepted by the Speaker’s office but turned down at the last minute. 

“Sometimes I am told it has been admitted and then I never get the chance to read it,” he said.  

This is not the first time the Tamale North MP is taking on the chair of the house.

Last week, he accused first Deputy Speaker Joseph Osei Owusu of unfairness after he walked him out of the chamber for disturbance. 

Suhuyini says he is unsure why the speaker’s office is not allowing for his statements to be delivered on the floor.

“I just hope that I will not be viewed as that young man from Radio Gold. I will be viewed as somebody representing constituents who have the right to be represented,” he said. 

Suhuyini went ahead to deliver his seventh statement to the media after not getting the opportunity to do that on the floor.

Below is the statement: 

Rt Hon Speaker I wish to come under order 72 of our standing orders to explain a matter of personal nature. 

Rt Hon Speaker I thank you for the opportunity to speak to the circumstances, that led you to direct that I withdraw from the house last Wednesday, 6th February 2019. 

Mr Speaker, it must be the foremost duty of all of us privileged to be Members of Parliament to eschew acts or omissions which affront the dignity of Parliament and Parliamentarians or which tends either directly or indirectly to produce that result.

It is therefore personally heartbreaking to me, when either because of our intolerance of each other or excessive comradeship, we unconsciously act or fail to act to preserve the dignity of the august house and of each other. 

Mr Speaker some news reports since Wednesday, have misreported on events of the day and with your permission I wish to state, without intending to condemn it, that I was not in the chamber on the day the “bloody widow” placard was held by colleagues and therefore, Mr Speaker didn’t ask me to walk out last Wednesday because I was responsible for that placard.

I clearly listened to colleagues explain the unambiguous intentions behind the use of that placard, which had nothing to do with the revered and sensitive status of widows and widowhood and I also listened to the arguments that suggested, that the use of that placard, showed less sensitivity to the status of widows. 

Rt Hon Speaker, I fully associate myself with both arguments that say; that widowhood is not a crime, and also, that the maiming and spilling of the blood of innocent men and women, should not be glorified or trivialized under the guise of widowhood and gender sensitivity. That will be insensitive, disingenuous and condemnable. 

Mr Speaker, without challenging the use of your discretion and I still don’t intend to challenge it, I respectfully obliged to your directive to withdraw. I therefore found it unnecessarily dramatic, that the marshal was ordered to march me out. 

Mr Speaker, I also found it disturbing, that some of my honorable colleagues rejoiced at your directive for me to withdraw from the chamber, by banging their tables and clapping their hands amidst shouts of shame! shame! as I walked out, for a conduct I reckon was less disruptive. 

Rt hon Speaker the average Ghanaian is increasingly growing impatient with us. They see through the nauseating double standards and the hypocrisy we exhibit in this house. I pray that we will acknowledge, that all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of our citizens and let our actions from now on be consistent with the silver rule in Mathew 7:12 “Therefore whatever you desire for men to do to you, you shall also do to them; for this is the law and the prophets.”

I thank you very much Mr Speaker for the opportunity.