Former President John Mahama has accused the current government of doing everything possible to reduce the numbers of the minority caucus in Parliament to evade scrutiny.
Speaking at the closing ceremony of a minority caucus workshop at the Volta Serene Hotel over the weekend, Mr. Mahama said, “As you have done this, the Akufo-Addo administration has intensified its efforts to whittle down your numbers. It has not shied away from using bizarre judicial processes to achieve this objective. A case in point is how our MP for Assin South remains an MP yet is barred from performing his functions in Parliament.”
According to him, this action by the government has unjustifiably and inexplicably denied the people of Assin South, representation in Parliament at a time when other constituencies where legal disputes have arisen over the Parliamentary elections of 2020 have their MPs discharging their duties until the determination of the substantive matters brought against them.
“They have also sought to use malicious prosecutions against some of you as a way of intimidating you into silence and docility. These tactics have not diminished your resolve and you continue to remain resolute. That said, a lot is still expected from you as a Minority group in Parliament,” he further alleged.
President Mahama further pointed out that given the way state agencies including some arms of government pander to the will of the Akufo-Addo administration and are prepared to undermine the rules and long-established principles to do their bidding, the NDC MPs remain perhaps the last true bulwark between the long-suffering people of this country and total misrule.
“You have become the immediate hope of a people who labour under irresponsible governance and abuse of office. There is the need therefore to meet this expectation by injecting further impetus into your work by keeping an even keener eye on the activities of the Executive,” he said.
He added that the scrutiny that the NDC MPs are required to do on behalf of the people who elected them also extends to all state institutions adding “The framers of the 1992 constitution intended that a number of these institutions complement the efforts of the Legislature at ensuring good governance”
“The style of this administration has been to subjugate and dominate these institutions for parochial and partisan gain. These institutions have thus become pliant tools for the furtherance of the political ends of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and President Akufo-Addo,” he added.
