Why boycott parliament when the law is asking legitimate questions? – Koku Anyidoho asks Minority

A Former Deputy General Secretary of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) Koku Anyidoho has asked why the Minority in Parliament are boycotting Parliament to be in court to support their members who are standing trials.

The Minority in Parliament on Thursday, July 6 boycotted parliamentary sitting in support of two caucus members.

The duo, the Minority Leader Dr Cassiel Ato Forson, and the Assin North MP James Gyakye Quayson appeared before the court regarding their ongoing prosecutions.

Dr. Ato Forson is facing a criminal case related to an alleged financial loss of €2.37 million to the state. The charges stem from a deal involving the purchase of 200 ambulances between 2014 and 2016.

Mr Quayson, on the other hand, is facing five charges — deceit of a public officer, forgery of a passport or travel certificate, knowingly making a false statement, perjury, and false declaration for office.

The Minority Caucus, through a brief statement, expressed unwavering support for their colleagues and emphasized their unity by abstaining from parliamentary proceedings for the day.

The statement further highlighted that “this boycott marks the beginning of a series of actions that the Caucus intends to undertake in order to put an end to what they perceive as an ongoing persecution of the Minority Leader Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson, Hon. James Gyakye Quayson, and Hon. Collins Dauda. We wish to reiterate the point that amidst persecution, cooperation will suffer”.

However, in a tweet, Mr. Anyidoho asked why the Minority in Parliament stayed away from sittings of Parliament when the law is asking their members’ legitimate questions.

“Don’t MPs draw legitimacy from the constitution of Ghana? Doesn’t the Constitution proscribe what is against the laws of the land? So you want the Constitution to protect you, but not protect the state? Why boycott the work of parliament because the law is asking legit questions?”