Race for new Speaker of Parliament Give it to Mike Oquaye, Joe Ghartey or Owusu Ankomah – Minority Leader urges

  From Issah Alhassan, Kumasi Even before the President-elect, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, starts combing for the right people to serve in his next government, starting January 7, the Minority Leader of Parliament, Osei Kyei Mensah-Bonsu, has already provided a list of people he strongly believes can effectively lead Parliament as Speaker in achieving the […]

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From Issah Alhassan, Kumasi

Even before the President-elect, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, starts combing for the right people to serve in his next government, starting January 7, the Minority Leader of Parliament, Osei Kyei Mensah-Bonsu, has already provided a list of people he strongly believes can effectively lead Parliament as Speaker in achieving the true independence of the legislature.

He is strongly convinced that personalities like Paapa Owusu Ankomah, outgoing Member of Parliament for Sekondi, Prof Mike Oquaye, former 2nd Deputy Speaker of Parliament, and Joe Ghartey, MP for the Esikado constituency, are the right people to lead the House, based on their vast experiences, astuteness and the respect they command from both sides of the House.

“These people are perfect for this job. They are not only perfect,

they fit well into our scheme of things, and to me, in my candid opinion, any one of them is ripe for the position. You see, you don’t just select anybody, what must inform our choice is whether such a person has the requisite skills to lead Ghana,” the Minority Leader added.

Again, according to Mensah-Bonsu, the next leader of the House must not just be a party man, who would not just endorse anything from the Executive, but most importantly, such a person must have a high level of independent mind, great analytical mind, a unifier, and above all, such a person must have what it takes to preside over business of the House with fairness, and with transparency.

Explaining the rationale for his choice, the Minority Leader, who is also MP for the Suame Constituency, said with the President-elect coming from the southern belt of the country, with Dr Bawumia representing the northern belt, it’s practically and politically sensible to have the third most powerful person coming from the coastal belt also.

“This was what former President Kufuor did… He knew he was representing those from the southern belt, or, better still, the Akans. The late Aliu Mahama, his vice, too was from the northern belt, so we said that then the person to occupy the third highest position of the land, should come from the coastal belt. So, if you recall, Peter Ala Adjetey, and Ebenezer Begyina Sekyi Hughes all came from the coastal side, and this effectively ensured balance in the system,” Osei Kyei Mensah-Bonsu explained.

Speaking on a number of issues with Kwame Tanko, host of Kumasi-based Angel FM Morning show on Monday, the Suame MP said he will also support a candidate from the Volta and Western regions, particularly, from the coastal lines of the region for the same position.

Osei-Kyei Mensah Bonsu also gave a clear picture of how the Nana Addo-led NPP government will be, and also how they intend to end poverty, restoring the confidence and hope of the people in the economy, assuring that just as they remained focused right from 2008, the NPP government will maintain the kind of unity and transparency in serving the needs of the people with a sincere heart.

He also disclosed that Parliament would be called back by next week Tuesday, to discuss, among other things, their emoluments before they finally dissolve it (Parliament) to make way for the next law-making chamber.

 

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