The minority for the first time in the history of Ghana’s Parliament invoked a half-hour motion on Wednesday, to compel the Finance Minister to answer questions relating to the issuance of the 2.25 billion dollars bond.
The bond which was issued in April by the Finance ministry has seen a lot of criticism from the minority in Parliament, which allege conflict of interest and lack of transparency in the issuance of the bond.
MP for Tamale, Haruna Iddrisu who invoked the motion believes the answers from Ken Ofori Atta should bring finality to the issues surrounding the issuance of the bond.
But what does a half hour motion mean? And how different is it from the usual invitation of government appointees to appear before the house?
In the usual question and answer session, a Member of Parliament asks the speaker to invite the appointee to appear before the house. The speaker solely takes the decision forward the invitation, and when this is done and the appointee appears before the house, individual members are invited to ask their questions. The questions stand in the name of those particular member.
However in a half hour motion, a members moves the motion, and when the speaker accepts, the entire house is asked to agree to the invitation of the appointee, instead of only the speaker making that decision. In this instance, questions to be answered by the appointee stand in the name of the entire house and not an individual MP.
The rules in a half hour motion can be found in standing order 49(1), which are as follows
Half-hour motion
- (1) On any day on which the Order paper contains the item Half –Hour Motions, Mr. Speaker shall interrupt business thirty minutes before the conclusion of business and
There upon or at the conclusion of business before that time call upon the Member in whose name the item stands to move the Half-Hour Motion.
(2) No amendment to such a motion shall be permitted.
(3) The subject of the motion shall be one for which the Government is responsible, and the right to move the motion shall be determined by ballot under the direction of Mr. Speaker.
(4) The right shall not be allotted to more than one Member for each sitting and at the stated end of the Sitting or the conclusion of the debate before that time Mr. Speaker shall put the Question on the motion without allowing a division.
(5) On the interruption of business under paragraph (1) of this Order, the closure may be moved, and if it is moved or if proceedings under the pertinent Order regarding the closure of debate are already in progress at the time of interruption, Mr. Speaker shall not Interrupt the business until the Question consequent upon the moving of the closure and any further Question relating to it has been decided.
(6) Mr. Speaker shall, as the case may require, either adjourn the House without question put or call upon the Member in whose name the Half-Hour Motion has been set down on the Order paper.
(7) Where the Member is called upon, the Sitting shall be subject to the provisions of Order 41 (Interruption of Business proceedings) and debate may proceed for not more than thirty minutes.
(8) If business is due to be interrupted for a Half-Hour Motion and at that hour a division is in progress, Mr. Speaker shall not interrupt business until he has declared the determination of the House on the division and in such case the debate under paragraph (1) of this Order may proceed for not more than thirty minute.