Habib Iddrisu, Deputy Majority Chief Whip, has apologized to Ghanaians for the brawl between Members of Parliament on Monday night while voting on the controversial E-levy bill.
Mr. Iddrisu, commenting on Citi FM’s Eyewitness News, stated that although the fighting was uncalled for, it was unavoidable given the issue surrounding the E-levy.
“We do apologize to our followers for how we have turned Parliament into a battlefield, but it was necessary to protect and prevent certain happenings in the house,” he said on Eyewitness News.
During the incident, hundreds of opposition MPs engaged in fisticuffs with their majority colleagues, while some parliament personnel attempted to defend the Speaker’s seat and the parliament mace from being assaulted.
Mr. Iddrisu slammed the development, claiming that the MPs had exceeded a limit.
“Parliament is not a boxing ring. It is not a place to be snatching people’s chairs. If you have a problem, we have rules governing the House. Get up and make your concerns known.”
Despite the Minority’s opposition, he explained the government’s choice to fight for the approval of the e-levy law.
“Government needs to tax in order to raise revenue to meet targets. If you are talking about taxes, NDC is the first to introduce taxes. They were taxing condoms, sanitary pads, and cutlasses.
“When we are talking about taxation, they are the ones who have taxed than anyone else. Amid covid, the government is trying as much as possible to see what it can do. Ghana is not the first to introduce e-levy.”
Read Also: Cleaner jailed 12 months for stealing GRA computers
