A Political Science lecturer at the University of Ghana, Professor Ransford Gyampo, has asked the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Members of Parliament to reconsider their decision to boycott Parliament.
According to him, the NPP Caucus needs to set aside emotions and return to Parliament to continue participating in legislative businesses.
On Thursday, Minority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin announced the Caucus’ boycott of parliamentary proceedings in protest against Speaker Alban Bagbin’s decision to declare four seats vacant, tilting leadership in the house to the opposition NDC.
Following the announcement, Mr Afenyo-Markin led NPP MPs in a walkout from Parliament adding that the NPP MPs would not return until the Supreme Court makes a ruling on the matter.
But speaking to the media, Prof Gyampo warned that the NPP’s decision to boycott Parliament could disrupt governance and prevent critical bills from being passed, especially with elections just weeks away.
He noted that without the NPP’s involvement in Parliament, essential government activities could come to a standstill.
“The best thing the NPP Caucus has to do is to be in Parliament and to ensure that they continue to contribute to parliamentary sittings. I don’t know what is going to happen because this means the government is essentially going to grind to a halt if Parliament is not going to do government business.
“And that is not going to augur well even though we have a few weeks to elections. We all know there are government businesses that would have to be tabled and discussed. So suddenly boycotting Parliament means all these tasks would not be done or it would be difficult,” he said on Friday.
Prof Gyampo also reminded the NPP that their actions in 2020, which he described as a misapplication and misinterpretation of the law, have come back to affect them negatively.
“As I said, if you sacrifice what is right on the altar of political expediency, it comes back to haunt you. The NPP misapplied and misinterpreted the law in 2020, today the same has happened and it goes against them, I think they should just lick their wounds and not be overly emotional,” he stated.
He urged the NPP to cooperate with the National Democratic Congress (NDC) Caucus to ensure that the necessary bills and parliamentary business are completed in the interest of the nation.
“Go back to Parliament and see how best they can work with the NDC Caucus to ensure that the bills and other businesses that were outlined are done for the betterment and interest of mother Ghana. So staying at home and boycotting parliamentary sitting in my view is not the best thing to do.”
Parliament witnessed a power shift on Thursday, October 17, 2024, when Speaker Alban Bagbin declared four seats vacant.
The ruling affects MPs Cynthia Morrison (Agona West), Kwadjo Asante (Suhum), Peter Kwakye Ackah (Amenfi Central), and Andrew Asiamah (Fomena), who either opted to contest the 2024 elections as independent candidates or switched party allegiances.
With the decision the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) has 136 seats against the governing NPP’s 135, making the NDC the majority caucus in Parliament.
Source: Richard Nana Appiah Kubi/Ahotoronline.com
