Deputy Information Minister, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa has described the refusal of Minority Leader in Parliament, Osei Kyei Mensah-Bonsu to be part of a parliamentary retinue to see off President Mills as an affront to the dignity of the Presidency.<\/p>\n
President Mills was in Parliament House to deliver his State of the Nation Address but the protesting Minority Leader refused to join the Speaker of Parliament, Majority Leader and others to see the president out off from the Chamber as per convention.<\/p>\n
He told the House he was appalled by the president’s unprecedented divisive address, and later explained in an interview with Joy News that his disappointment had also partly stemmed from the president’s “refusal” to acknowledge the presence of former President John Kufuor and the Chief Justice, Georgina Wood.<\/p>\n
But Okudzeto Ablakwa said Parliament must as a matter of urgency, haul the Minority Leader before the Privileges Committee because the his behaviour was shameful.<\/p>\n
He was speaking on Asempa FM\u2019s current affairs programme Ekosii Sen.<\/p>\n
\u201cI hope that parliament will have something to say about the conduct of the minority leader. If a president comes to parliament and speaks to the nation on several national issues how can you say this is divisive?\u201d Mr. Ablakwa queried.<\/p>\n
The Deputy Information Minister said this is the first time a leader of the house of parliament has broken protocol and described Mr. Kyei Mensah Bonsu’s attitude as unprecedented and regrettable.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe minority leader today thinks he is a lord to himself and so refuses to join the convoy leaving parliament to escort the President from the house – this is unprecedented and I hope the privileges committee will haul Osei Kyei Mensah Bonsu for bringing parliament into disrepute and insulting the president of the land who is an embodiment of all of us.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou may not like him, you may not like what he has come to say but is that not democracy? We agree to disagree. In any case, the president did not come to parliament to convince or to appeal to you or entice you Osei Kyei Mensah-Bonsu, he came to speak to the people of Ghana, so you let the people of Ghana decide. This \u201cKakaamotobi\u201d (masquerade) attitude where Osei Kyei Mensah Bonsu wants everybody to be scared of him, he thinks that there are different laws in Ghana that operate for him. It’s most regrettable and shameful and I hope the privileges committee of this country will be making a statement about the conduct of Osei Kyei Mensah-Bonsu if they want us to take parliament and that committee serious\u201d, he concluded.<\/p>\n
But a panel member on the programme and Member of Parliament for the Upper West Denlyira, Mr. Benjamin Ayeh said the unbridled attack on the Minority Leader was uncalled for and ought to stop.<\/p>\n
He said the NDC should even thank the Minority Leader for not walking out with his team since in 2007 when former President Kufour was presenting his State of the Nation Address, the then minority walked out on him.<\/p>\n
Source: Asempa Fm<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Deputy Information Minister, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa has described the refusal of Minority Leader in Parliament, Osei Kyei Mensah-Bonsu to be part of a parliamentary retinue to see off President Mills as an affront to the dignity of the Presidency. President Mills was in Parliament House to deliver his State of the Nation Address but the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-276195","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard"],"yoast_head":"\n