The growing spate of hubris among the Majority side in Parliament calls for reflection among Ghanaians. It portends danger for our democracy, especially when the erroneous impression is being created to the effect that the Minority do not matter in the architecture of the House of Parliament.
The Minority Leader, Alexander Afenyo-Markin, could not have put it any better than when he said the Majority advantage is being overstretched.
Those who think the Minority side can be disregarded to the extent of a ‘walkout’ in protest at a breach, lack knowledge about parliamentary democracy or are simply exhibiting arrogance of power.
The Majority advantage should not include the show of disrespect to the Minority, a side which is part of the parliamentary architecture. Without this appendage of the House, proceedings would be incomplete and parliamentary democracy, which we claim to be practicing, would be a sham.
Parliament was recently recalled under a certificate of emergency, which was not the case anyway.
The hubris of the Majority was in full flight by members of this side, their posturing leaving nobody in doubt about the self-conceitedness which has consumed them.
The veracity of the emergency has so far not convinced watchers of the parliamentary process; there was no emergency.
The complement of the Supreme Court has not suffered a shortage as a result of retirement of one of its members or even withdrawal as a result of incapacitation.
Anything pertaining to the Supreme Court and for that matter the judiciary should not trigger doubts about the true intention of the President for increasing the number of justices of the apex court.
Listening to the Majority Leader, we are pained to note that indeed there was no emergency, and the required period needed for the opposition to do their background checks was also disregarded.
Allowing the foregone to take place as required by the constitution would not have taken anything away from the process. The impression that the process was rushed through is another indication of the abuse of the numbers being exhibited in Parliament by the Majority.
The query of the process is not a personal vendetta against the individuals who have been nominated and so far given the parliamentary nod less the Minority. It is about, as the Minority Leader pointed out, a matter of principle.
It is instructive to note that the number of Supreme Court justices has reached an all-time high. And to think that President John Mahama subjected his predecessor to verbal lashing for, as he put it, packing the courts, has gone beyond what transpired at the time, and makes us wonder about what is happening.
In the case of former President Akufo-Addo, the nominations were occasioned by retirements from the apex court, not so now however.
The action of the Minority is hinged upon principles which should guide us, especially those at the helm of state, in all our dealings.
Politicians will be judged inter alia by a number of factors, one being their adherence to principles.
Scandals and governance blemishes arise when governments or Presidents act in breach of standards and become subjects of opprobrium.
A President must be able to walk his talk; packing the court when while he was in opposition he frowned upon the practice yet coming to do even more cannot be an act of principle.
We have always said it that the judiciary is one arm of government which should be spared the incessant queries as being witnessed in recent times.
Such discretionary exercise to promote convenience by the President is what the Minority Leader has bludgeoned, and which we concur with.
