THE Leadership of Parliament has denied media reports that they intended to go on strike over unpaid emoluments.
They have therefore urged the media to be circumspect in their reportage of proceedings in Parliament.
Addressing a joint news conference called by the leadership of house in Accra today, Dr. Benjamin Kunbuor and Osei Kyei Mensah-Bonsu said the press conference was occasioned by a misreportage of an intervention made by the Member of Parliament (MP) for Old Tafo, Dr Anthony Osie-Akoto on the floor of house last Tuesday.
Dr Osei-Akoto in making a contribution had said that members would not be encouraged to attend parliamentary sittings when their outstanding allowances in the previous parliament remained unpaid.
That they said was, however, misreported by sections of the media that MPs had resolved to go on strike to back up their demands for unpaid allowances.
The Minority Leader, in reacting to the said report, indicated that there may be occasional slips which were part of human nature.
Mr Mensah-Bonsu , however, said that the media ought to focus on principal issues to fashion out national cohesion and development.
"Innocuous matters may crop up, but let us all be in the same boat together to deal with the big issues and not be distracted by minor sidekicks,"Mr Mensah-Bonsu said.
He also said that issues relating to parliament as an institution needed to be vetted appropriately by the media before being put out.
The Majority Leader, Dr. Kunbuor for his part, said that it was very early in the day in the life of the Sixth Parliament for such unhealthy publications to be making rounds.
That, Dr Kunbuor, said would go to create a negative perception in the minds of the public that Members of Parliament were not necessarily in the House to serve the interest of the people.
He also cautioned politicians and members of the House to desist from engaging the press for their parochial interests.
Dr Kunbour called for another level of engagement with the press to focus on larger national interest.
He assured of the leadership and members co-operation to building networks that would positively project Parliament to the general society that they represent.
The Director of Public Affairs of Parliament, Mr Jones Kugblenu wondered why the Sixth Parliament would boycott proceedings because emoluments of the Fifth Parliament which had ceased to exist had not been paid.
"Although most members of the previous parliament have returned to the House, the issue of payments of benefits are being formalised and could therefore not be an obstacle in the business of the current parliament," Mr Kugblenu said.
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