The Center for Parliamentary Affairs has condemned the actions of some lawmakers still attending Parliament despite testing positive for COVID-19.

It stated that the recalcitrant Members of Parliament (MPs) must be sanctioned instead of being issued warnings.

The revelation was made in the House with threats from leadership in the House to publicise the names of infected MPs if they do not stay off.

First Deputy Speaker, Joseph Osei Owusu, also cautioned the 60 MPs who were yet to subject themselves to the testing exercise to do so before the close of the day February 4 in order not to face sanctions.

But the Executive Director of the Africa Center for Parliamentary Affairs, Dr Rasheed Draman insisted that the leadership in the House must institute sanctions and bemoaned the situation of a culture of not sanctioning wrongdoing of MPs to send a clear message to set a good public example.

“We should institute sanctions, I have said over and over in many instances it looks like we have a culture of not sanctioning Members of Parliament and sending a clear message and setting a good public example.

“If we are relaxed about it when it comes to other issues, now it is about life and death and we cannot relax about it, I seriously entreat the leadership of Parliament to take it seriously,” Dr Draman cautioned and explained that “because every one person who has COVID-19 and is seen out of their homes, you can bet that they can infect only God knows how many people, you can bet that out of those people who will be infected, some might lose their lives, is that what we want? I don’t think so, it doesn’t send a good message, I think this is a new Parliament and we are hoping to see some changes.

“It’s beyond disappointing, if we are dealing with a public health emergency where some people might lose their lives, I do not know how much more seriousness you can add to it and it must be condemned in the most clearest terms,” Dr Draman decried. –Starr FM