Member of Parliament for Yilo Krobo constituency and a Member on Constitutional Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Committee, Hon Lawyer Magnus Kofi Amoatey says the minority in Parliament has boycotted the president’s State Of the Nation Address (SONA) as a result of calls from their constituent and Ghanaian as a whole.
It will be recalled that, Members of the minority side of parliament on Thursday boycotted the State of the Nation Address as they staged a walkout.
The side which earlier announced they will be boycotting the sitting made their way out just as the national anthem ended.
They moved out repeating a part of the anthem that says ‘and help us to resist oppressors rule with all our will and might forever more’.
Members of the majority side sent off their colleagues with chants of ‘away’ as well as ‘bye bye’.
This year’s State of the Nation Address is Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo’s fourth and last in his first term as president of the republic.
His address is in accordance with Article 67 of the 1992 Constitution of the Republic of Ghana and the Standing Orders of the Parliament of Ghana.
The address is to update Ghanaians on the government’s progress and outline plans for the next financial year.
The president’s speech covered, in broad terms, areas such as the economy, education, health, security and infrastructure.
Speaking to the Yilo Krobo law maker on why they boycotted the (SONA), he outlined their reasons for the walk out.
According to him, they walked out for their constituents as they (MPs) are representatives in parliament.
Hon Magnus Kofi Amoatey noted that their action also follows President Akufo Addo’s call on Ghanains to be citizens and not spectators.
“Sadly, matters are totally out of control. The democracy we all toiled and sacrificed to establish is now threatened by the highhandedness of President Akufo Addo. The man who in opposition styled himself as champion democrat has turned out to be a nightmare and an existential threat to our country democracy. We continue to witness heightened impunity from officialdom”, Hon Magnus Kofi added.
To him, what they did was, for the good people of Ghana.
Source: Mavis Akosua/ritefmonline.org
