News:
Senator Jonathan L. Kaipay
June 13, 2022
A member, of the Liberia delegation to the Community Parliament, Senator Jonathan L. Kaipay has said the Community Parliament should be concerned with the development in Guinea Bissau where the president has dissolved the Parliament of that country.
According to him it’s a dangerous move, an affront to democracy within the West African sub-region; and added that he would not be in Abuja Nigeria if his president can go and dissolve Parliament.
In an interview, he pointed out that other Heads of States within the sub-region can engage in similar act and make reference to what is happening in Guinea Bissau; “ECOWAS should concentrate on safe guarding the constitutional provision that protect the ordinary people. You cannot have the people electing their MPs and one president gets up, drinks a cup of coffee and says the rest of you guys go and sit down, that is not democracy”.
And added that it is dictatorship as democracy comes with responsibilities and consequences as the tendency of democracy should be upheld.
He was however, quick to point out that Guinea Bissau is a Portuguese speaking country, one cannot read their constitution and it is difficult to get into it, “but in my mind and understanding the tendency of democracy I think it is wrong for a sitting president to do that”.
He questioned how the President of Guinean Bissau can dissolve his cabinet at his pleasure; “how do we dissolve a parliament that was elected and you were also elected, and you are still in power?”
Mr. Jonathan L. Kaipay pointed out that these are things that spark out political tension and bring about conflict.
Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com/Abuja-Nigeria