The gymnastics in Parliament won’t help any political party – Prof. Gyampo
Professor Ransford Gyampo of the University of Ghana Political Science Department has debunked assertions that the seeming drama and heated debate that happened in Parliament after Finance Minister had presented the 2022 Budget statement would contribute to the fortunes of any political party or individual.
According to him, he does not subscribe to that notion or school of thought. “The Minority should not frustrate governance because if governance is frustrated it affects all of us and at the end of the day, because of some of rancour, acrimony and tension, budgets do not go through you and I will suffer one way or the other.
“But the Majority must also know that they have a country to govern. The president has a mandate to govern and so the responsibility is more on them to reach out. The Minority have nothing much to lose.
“In fact, theirs is to be able to do some of these gymnastic and theatrics just to make you frustrated, to expose you that you are the incompetent person in terms of dialogue so that they will feel that will enhance political fortunes, even though I disagree that that necessarily enhances political fortune, but we all have much to lose.
“But the government of the day has a lot to lose if its budget doesn’t go through. We need genuine dialogue, genuine tolerance, genuine consultation and the kind of behind the scenes talking that is frank, honest and candid, not what they are doing here. It doesn’t help the course of democracy, it throws into the very politics that there is tension.”
Most Ghanaians abreast with issues from Ghana’s legislative house lately would know the sharp division and heated debate that led to a near scuffle after the presentation of the 2022 budget by Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta.
As proceedings went on in the House on Wednesday, December 1, a Former Deputy Attorney General Dr Dominic Ayine called on persons quoting the constitution to support the approval of the 2022 budget to read the constitution as a whole to be able to arrive at a meaningful conclusion.
According to him those who want the budget approved cannot pick and choose aspects of the constitution to defend their stance otherwise, he said, they would be wrong.
Contributing to a discussion on the budget the Bolgatanga East MP said “We think the decision that was taken yesterday gross undermining of the Constitution of the Republic of Ghana.”
In defence of the motion to overturn the approval Minority leader, Haruna Iddrisu said 137 legislators of the Majority could not have taken a decision.
He indicated that Deputy Speaker Joseph Osei-Owusu (Joewise) who deliberated over proceedings on the day was not seen, as a Member of Parliament at the time he was sitting in as Speaker hence, that leaves the number present at 137.
By: Stella Annan | myactiveonline.com Twitter @activetvgh
