The Majority Leader in the Ghanaian Parliament, Mr. Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, has expressed displeasure over the failure of the Minority to officially inform the leadership of the House about its decision to abstain from the debate on the State of the Nation Address.
Mr. Mensah-Bonsu said the Minority failed to show courtesy by abstaining from the debate.
Local media reports on Wednesday in Accra quoted Mensah-Bonsu as saying on the floor of the House that their boycott was a confirmation of their walk-out on President Nana Akufo-Addo last Thursday before he delivered his state of the nation address.
“The discourtesy in it (abstinence) is that whereas I approached them formally to inquire whether they will debate and they had assured that they would debate and when they elected not to debate, they failed to even formally communicate to me, and that is the tragedy,” Mensah-Bonsu said.
The reports added that the majority leader was, however, quick to add that their abstinence would in no way affect the relationship between the leaders of the Majority and Minority in Parliament.
Although the Minority MPs were present in the Chamber of Parliament, the Minority Chief Whip, Muntaka Mubarak, told the House that they had waived their right to second the motion for the debate and to participate fully.
“Our principle is that we are not participating in this. We will not be speaking to this,” Mr. Mubarak said on the floor of the House.
The walk out on President Akufo-Addo last week by the opposition sparked widespread condemnation from the local and international communities.
DAP/GIK/APA