Speaker of Ghana’s Parliament, Alban Bagbin, has admonished legislators to be measured in their conduct and utterances because they are not above the laws of the country.
He said this while responding to a formal complaint against the MP for Assin Central, Kennedy Agyapong, for his utterances against a journalist with the Multimedia Group, Erastus Asare Donkor.
Addressing the matter in Parliament on Wednesday, July 14, the Speaker cautioned lawmakers to be guided in their conduct outside the House stressing that the immunity they enjoy does not cover them everywhere except when they are in the House during plenary or committee discussions.
“It is important for me to emphasize here that the privilege and immunity of free speech applies in full force in plenary session and committee sessions, not when members are outside debating issues or on radio and TV. You don’t have that right, that privilege, that immunity to just say anything because you are a member of parliament.
“We are not above the law. It is for good reasons because you represent a large number of people, you should be given the full immunity to be able to say what the people say they want you to say. That is why you say it here and you are covered,” Mr Bagbin said.
“That immunity doesn’t extend to you in anywhere else. So pleased the committee should go into the matter, submit the report.”
Mr Donkor’s only crime to warrant a threat from Kennedy Agyapong follows the testimony the former gave on “the journalistic work that he undertook during the recent shootings and killing incident at Ejura” which is being investigated by a three-member Committee.
