The Executive Director of the African Centre for Parliamentary Affairs (ACEPA), Dr Rasheed Draman, has questioned the relevance and effectiveness of the Minority’s walkout from Parliament in protest of the continued detention of NPP Ashanti Regional Chairman, Bernard Antwi Boasiako, also known as Chairman Wontumi.
Speaking in an interview on JoyNews’ The Pulse on Thursday, Dr Draman suggested that the Minority’s strategy may be outdated and ineffective in the current parliamentary context, where the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) holds a comfortable majority.
“What’s the value of walkout and the threat not to participate in government business at a time when the NDC has a comfortable majority and can form quorum to do parliamentary work and can form quorum to carry out government business?” he asked.
\His comment comes after the Minority MPs on Thursday staged a walkout, following the arrest and detention of Chairman Wontumi.
Minority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin announced that the NPP side would boycott all parliamentary proceedings until the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) reviews and relaxes the bail conditions placed on Wontumi, who is being investigated for allegedly causing financial loss to the state.
Following the walkout, the MPs marched to EOCO’s head office in Accra, where they were joined by party executives to demonstrate solidarity with the embattled regional chairman, who spent a night in custody after failing to meet the GH₵ 50 million bail conditions.
But Dr Draman advised the Minority to reconsider their approach, suggesting they remain in Parliament to demand accountability and ensure institutions operate properly, rather than resorting to boycotts.
“We are not in the eighth Parliament, where a few members could delay or block proceedings. In this ninth Parliament, the numbers no longer favour such tactics.”
“If they have questions, they should stay in the House and demand answers, not walk out. Otherwise, they may be seen as playing politics rather than seeking justice,” he warned.
Source: JoyNews