The Parliament of Ghana came under heavy criticisms for snubbing accidents victims in Ghana and rather paying tribute to victims of Cyclone Idai in Mozambique, Zimbabwe and Malawi which claimed about 1,000 lives.
But Member of Parliament for the Damongo Constituency in the Savanna Region, Adam Mutawakilu, has explained that what happened in the house on Monday, March 25, though “unfortunate”, followed the procedures of the House.
About 64 people lost their lives in two separate accidents: one at Ekumfi-Dunkwa in the Central Region and another at Ampomakrom, near Kintampo in the Bono East Region last Friday.
For what was described by some Ghanaians as a Black Friday, many had hoped to hear a word of commiseration from Parliament the following Monday but that did not happen.
Speaking on TV3‘s New Day Tuesday, the Damongo MP admitted a moment of silence on the floor of Parliament on Monday in hounor of all departed souls would have been appropriate but explained the failure of the house to do so was an “oversight”.
“And you know the accident happened during the weekends.
“All other things being equal, it is expected that a statement might not be ready by then, but we could just observe a minute silence in memory of the dead, and that one, I will say is an oversight,” he admitted.
“We must be frank, it’s an oversight,” he reiterated.
He further explained that the written speech that was read on the floor of Parliament in memory of the catastrophes in Mozambique, Malawi and New Zealand was one which had already been approved by the Speaker to be read on Monday, something he said could not have been altered.
“And once the Speaker has approved you cannot veer off what the Speaker has approved.”
Even though he admits it was an oversight, he maintained what happened was “procedurally right”.
By P.D Wedam|3news.com|Ghana