The Member of Parliament for the Adansi Asokwa constituency, KT Hammond, recently addressed a viral video showing him deflecting Majority Chief Whip, Frank Annoh-Dompreh during a parliamentary proceeding on December 22, 2023.
The video garnered mixed reactions, with some accusing Mr. Hammond, who also serves as the Minister of Trade, of reacting violently towards his fellow lawmaker.
In response to the video, Hammond conducted a press conference at his residence in Adansi Asokwa, expressing his dismay at the frequent misinterpretation of his comments by people, especially the media.
He criticized the media for consistently misrepresenting his thoughts and comments without delving into the substance, leading to criticisms from various segments of the public.
Providing context to the parliamentary incident, KT Hammond explained that he was called into the chamber by Mr. Annoh-Dompreh to participate in discussions and subsequent voting on the appointment of judges undergoing vetting that day.
“I only made some gesticulations towards him to allow me to make my point regardless of the time constraints. Parliament had spent the whole day discussing other issues, so why was I distracted from making my point to wind up the business of the day?” he questioned.
Due to his relationship with one of the judges, who was his schoolmate at the University of Ghana, he wanted to contribute to the discussions on the floor.
While making his submissions, the Majority Chief Whip attempted to draw his attention, ostensibly due to time constraints.
Mr Hammond stated that he gestured towards Annoh-Dompreh to allow him to make his point quickly amid interjections from the Nsawam-Adoagyir MP.
“I never slapped him. Why would I slap a colleague Member of Parliament? Have you seen me fighting anybody in Parliament as others did during voting for the Speaker of Parliament and other violent scenes in the house?” the Adansi Asokwa lawmaker quizzed.
Mr Hammond refuted claims of being a violent person, emphasizing his non-violent history and the absence of any involvement in violent situations. He insisted that Annoh-Dompreh is one of his close confidants in politics and Parliament, and he would never react violently towards him.
Meanwhile, Mr. Hammond has picked nomination forms to contest the upcoming Parliamentary primaries in his constituency on the New Patriotic Party ticket.
If successful, he will be serving his 7th term in the house. He is expected to face stiff competition from three other aspirants who have already filed their nominations.
Expressing optimism, the legislator mentioned that he is responding to calls from his constituents to seek another term, given his track record of good works. He expressed confidence in getting the nod from the party delegates.
Several experienced Members of Parliament, including Joseph Osei-Owusu, MP for Bekwai, Dan Botwe, MP for Okyere, Samuel Atta Akyea, MP for Akyem Abuakwa South, and Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, have announced their decisions not to contest the upcoming Parliamentary primaries in January.
Mr Hammond highlighted that this would create a void in Parliament and adversely affect the quality of work in the legislative body.
He emphasized that replacing these experienced MPs would be a daunting task for the party.
theindependentghana.com