Speaker of Parliament, Rt. Hon. Alban Kingsford Sumana Bagbin, did not mince words during Wednesday’s sitting as he delivered a scathing rebuke to Dr. Nana Ayew Afriyie, the Member of Parliament for Effiduase-Asokore, for openly defying a directive issued by the First Deputy Speaker, Bernard Ahiafor, during Tuesday’s proceedings.
In a fiery address that blended authority with literary allusion, Bagbin reminded MPs of the respect due the Speaker’s chair — no matter who occupies it — quoting none other than Shakespeare.
“But I’ll just say this: [William] Shakespeare taught all of us that even a dog is obeyed in office.
“When we sit here, we are not saints; we are not infallible. But there is good reason why we are called ‘Right Honourable’ and you are called only ‘Honourable’,” he said.
The Speaker’s statement was a direct response to the controversial conduct of Dr. Afriyie, who reportedly challenged the ruling of the First Deputy Speaker on the floor.
Bagbin cautioned that such defiance could threaten not only the stability of parliamentary procedures but also the political futures of offending MPs.
Citing the Parliament Act of 1965 and the Standing Orders, Bagbin reinforced the authority bestowed upon the Speaker and his deputies.
He explained that even when the Speaker is perceived to be wrong, Parliament provides constitutional means to address grievances—but never through open defiance on the floor.
“The Speaker, however the situation, is always right on the floor.
“When he is wrong, the law has given you the opportunity to come back to the same floor to prove that he was wrong.
“So please, I repeat, even a dog is obeyed in office,” he said, hammering home the lesson.
