Scores of angry residents from the Klottey Korle Constituency in the Greater Accra Region, on Wednesday trooped to Parliament while grumbling, murmuring and wagging their forefingers towards the sky to register their displeasure against what they described as disparaging comments made against their Member of Parliament, Dr Zanetor Agyeman Rawlings in the Chamber on Tuesday, 4th February.
The angry delegation, with some of their punching clenched fists in the air while singing to music from a bard of percussionists that accompanied them, presented a petition to Parliament over the said disparaging remarks and asked that the person who made the comments should be fished out and dealt with according to the rules and regulations of Parliament, without mercy.
The petition was received by the Clerk to Parliament, Mr. Ebenezer Ahumah Djietror.
During proceedings on the floor of Parliament on Tuesday February, there was a little bit of a noisy situation and mutual heckling among Members when a male voice was heard shouting, “Daughter of a murderer, sit down! Daughter of a murderer, sit down!”
By then, the Minority Leader, Alexander Afenyo–Markin, was on his feet speaking and calling for calm among Members. Several of the Members from the Majority side, including Dr Zanetor Agyeman Rawlings, had also sprang to their feet waiting to catch the Speaker’s eyes when the unidentified male voice was heard screaming “Daughter of a murderer, sit down! Daughter of a murderer, sit down!”
Though Members could not immediately agree on who exactly made the said remarks, it was believed to have come from the Minority side.
No one has owned up to it and the search for the owner of the voice is in full swing.
Second Deputy Speaker, Andrews Asiamah was presiding when the incident occurred.
Dr. Zanetor Agyeman-Rawlings is a biological daughter of the late former President Jerry John Rawlings.
On the same matter, Member of Parliament for Damongo, Samuel Abdulai Jinapor, has vehemently dismissed allegations that he could be the owner of the unidentified voice which was heard making the remarks that is now believed to be directed at Dr. Zanetor Agyeman-Rawlings.
“Anybody who followed my career, and my involvement in my public life in all modesty will attest to the fact that I don’t speak in that nature and manner, the words which are forcefully being attributed to me are not words that I will use, secondly, I didn’t even know that such words had been altered”, Samuel Jinapor told journalists in Parliament on Wednesday.
He continued: “I found out this morning when the trending video was brought to my attention, and what I can say about that, is that it is false. I don’t even speak across the aisle in parliament. If I want to speak I draw the attention of the speaker before I speak, the allegations are false. I have huge respect for Former president Rawlings.”
