News:
February 9, 2023
Majority Leader Osei-Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu has cautioned journalists and Ghanaians to disabuse their their minds of cooperation between Majority and Minority meaning they are in bed.
According to him his remarks at the opening of the first meeting of the thirds session of the 8th Parliament, got misconstrued when he indicated that he had a good working relations with the immediate past Minority Leader, Haruna Iddrisu.
Again, as Majority Leader, you need to facilitate government business and you work harmoniously with the Minority Leader to achieve optimum effect for government business.
At a media engagement with members of the Parliamentary Press Corps (PPC) on Wednesday, February 8, 2023 the Majority Leader pointed out that, there were many occasions that the Haruna Minority led group disagreed with him and the Majority especially on the account of policy.
When, government and their party had taken a policy decision that cannot be reconciled with the policy decision of the NPP, certainly there will be hick ups and you will see fireworks; it does not mean they are enemies.
And to the largest extent possible, one needs to work together. “We have to grow parliament and also ensure that parliament performs its assigned roles including legislation and financial control oversight and representation and so many.
He further revealed that when it comes to crafting of bills, those of them who participate in the willowing most of them are from the Minority and not from the Majority, that is how it’s supposed to be.
He said when he was a Minority Leader he was in charge of willowing, even as Minority leader you want to help grow parliament and underscore the need to want to help grow our democracy, you should disabuse your minds of this cooperation between the Majority and Minority to means they are in bed.
“Haruna and I we’re not gay but we are working to some determined principles to grow our democracy and parliament. When I was the Minority Leader and Cletus Avorka was the Majority Leader any time he came to Kumasi he will give me prior information and in the evening we met at a location and give ourselves a good treat”.
“I had not sold out to the Majority at that time, equally so for the Bagbin when he was the Majority Leader and we all know I went to his back yard to speak for him, I have not sold out to the Majority at that time but we needed really to grow parliament”.
And further pointed out that, that was the kind of relationship he had with the Member of Parliament for Tamale South when he was the Minority Leader for six years.
“You necessarily have to cultivate this friendship; Ato is a close friend, I know he is very rational, yet has a stiff neck when it comes to his policy decision, I hope I will not break the neck but twist it a bit”.
Again, he is very principled not withstanding you have to cultivate a good working relationship with him. I hope together we would be able to up scale the development of parliamentary democracy, he said in his remarks.
Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com