Minority in Ghana's Parliament Accused of Prioritizing Media Optics

In a heated exchange in Parliament today, Majority Leader Mahama Ayariga accused the Minority of prioritizing media optics over accountability. The Minority's questioning of the decision to hear the Bank of Ghana Governor behind closed doors suggested it was more interested in attracting media attention than in obtaining answers.

Mahama Ayariga argued that the Minority's insistence that the Governor should only answer questions if journalists were present was inconsistent with how Parliament engages other independent constitutional office holders. He explained that when he previously supported media coverage of such proceedings, it was done through agreement and the approval of Parliament.

Ayariga claimed that any decision to allow cameras into parliamentary proceedings should be reached through consultation rather than unilateral demands. He warned that such conduct would only lead to stronger resistance from the Majority, saying 'When you have that attitude, even on simple matters, we too will grandstand. You act, and people also react.'

Parliamentary business, according to Ayariga, must be guided by established rules rather than the wishes of any individual or political group. He maintained that when the Minority adopts an attitude that suggests 'whatever he wants, that's what will happen', he will also show that it is the rules that will govern proceedings and not what they want.

In recent times, there have been disagreements over media access to parliamentary proceedings involving the Governor of the Bank of Ghana. The Minority had insisted that the Governor should only answer questions if journalists were present, an approach Ayariga said was inconsistent with how Parliament engages other independent constitutional office holders.

Ayariga referred to the Minority's response to the Deputy Speaker's ruling during the SIM card registration debate, accusing its members of showing disrespect to the Chair before staging a walkout. He warned that such conduct would only lead to stronger resistance from the Majority.