Samuel George scoffed at the minority caucus for taking a turn from their decision to boycott all activities of President John Mahama.
According to him, the NPP is on the “path of self-destruction” and so, raised questions about their line of thinking.
Speaking in an interview on Accra-based Radio Gold Friday morning, he challenged the minority to eat their humble pie and accept the President’s legitimacy or else boycott the budget presentation as a matter of principle.
The New Patriotic Party under the behest of its National Council including its 2012 Presidential candidate Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, his Running mate Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia and the party’s National Chairman Jake Obetsebi-Lamptey, petitioned the Supreme Court to challenge the legitimacy of President Mahama and the declaration by the Electoral Commission Chairman, Dr. Kwadwo Afari Gyan.
Their decision has remained to boycott all events involving the President, hence snubbing his first State of the Nation Address, swearing-in ceremony and vetting of his ministerial nominees.
Though the minority in Parliament has been adamant to change their decision taken by the National Council, which is the highest decision-making body of the party, they have however revealed they won’t abstain from the reading of Ghana’s budget by the Finance Minister.
Nonetheless, the NDC Communicator recounted that the integrity of the NPP Stalwarts is at stake and believed the party’s MPs would rescind their decision anytime soon.
“If they said they would not vet the Minister for Finance because the Minister for Finance is going to be an appointee of an executive President they claim they do not recognize irrespective of the fact that they have sworn an oath of a Member of Parliament as enshrined in the 1992 Constitution, how then would they want to sit down and listen to the same gentleman whose nomination they felt was invalid? You see; you listen to the NPP and you see that this a bunch of people who appear to be in a state of crises,” he said.
He further noted that; “They are on the path of self-destruction…But I think that if they were men and women of integrity they would [stand] to their guns and go along with their conviction. I believe if they decide to come and sit in Parliament for the reading of the budget, it sends one clear message to the NPP that the parliamentary caucus of the New Patriotic Party does not believe in Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo’s case in the court…”
He therefore questioned the “equilibrium of their logic” which he said is “found wanting” and as a result admonished the minority bench in Parliament to render an apology to the citizenry.
“If they have realized that their actions are in contravention of the 1992 Constitution and that they have an obligation to respect the legitimacy of the President, then they should apologize to their electorates, the constituents to whom they represent and the larger Ghanaian public. And take the high moral ground and say, we realize we were wrong; we’re sorry and we want to come back and do what is right. On that basis we can consider them…until that time i think that if they want to come and sit in Parliament, then they lack conviction and they do not have principle.”
Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana
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