We’ll cooperate with govt if it acts in the interest of Ghanaians – Minority

The Member of Parliament for Ningo-Prampram, Samuel Nartey George, has assured of the Minority’s cooperation in government’s decisions in Parliament, if it acts in the interest of taxpayers.

The vociferous lawmaker said the Minority caucus will be guided by its conscience in every decision regarding passage of laws in the House.

The First Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Joseph Osei-Owusu, has urged Ghanaians never to vote for another hung Parliament in the future.

The Bekwai MP believes the situation has made the current legislature less efficient as compared to the seventh Parliament, as there’s less cooperation on the Minority side.

According to him, the Minority has been kicking against most of government’s decisions, adding that the seventh Parliament passed over 100 laws but the current Parliament which is in its third year has passed less than 10 laws due to the closeness in numbers.

Hon. Sam George, in response, underscored that the Minority MPs will continue to work in the best interest of Ghanaians.
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“Minority will continue to work in the best interest of the Ghanaian people. I can’t guarantee you cooperation with the government because I don’t know how the government will act. If the government is going to act in the interest of the people, absolutely, we will cooperate with them. But I do not have any confidence that this government given its 6-year track record, in its 7th year now, will begin to change. A leopard doesn’t change its spot,” he said.

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The Ningo Prampram MP stressed, “I don’t foresee them acting 100% in the best interest of the taxpayer and the Ghanaian people. So we can’t promise to compromise with them. We can promise you that we will be guided by our conscience in every action, decision and position that the minority caucus will take. And that position will be in tandem with the interest and aspirations of the Ghanaian people. If government is minded by that, it will have our cooperation”.

Sam George asserted that Parliament has the tendency of becoming an extension of the executive if it is reduced to Majority.

“This Parliament has become the closest thing to people having representatives who are not rubber stamp. When you look at the 7th Parliament with former Speaker Prof. Mike Oquaye, we had an instance where the substance of the argument of the Minority for want of a better phrase almost non-charlatan attitude to whatever the Majority said. Whatever you will say, we will have our way, it’s a problem for our democracy. When Parliament is reduced to a Majority decision, it seems to be an extension of the executive,” the MP for Ningo-Prampram stated.

The Minority amongst others is kicking against a Constitutional Instrument (CI) proposed by the country’s electoral body, Electoral Commission (EC) to make the Ghana Card the sole identification for the registration of the Voter Cards.

They argued that the move will disenfranchise millions of Ghanaians.

They have also refused to consent to the approval of President Nana Akufo-Addo’s new ministers, who went through vetting weeks ago.