The Member of Parliament for Bawku Central, Mahama Ayariga, has downplayed concerns about potential harm to Ghanaians resulting from the ongoing parliamentary standoff.
On Tuesday, October 22, Speaker of Parliament Alban Bagbin adjourned the House indefinitely after a session marked by tension between the Majority and Minority, both awaiting his decision on a Supreme Court ruling that stayed his declaration of four parliamentary seats as vacant.
Despite expectations, the Speaker cited an insufficient number of MPs as the reason for the adjournment, postponing further deliberations.
In an interview with Vivian Kai Lokko on Channel One TV, Ayariga dismissed fears that the impasse would impede government operations.
He asserted that Parliament’s current situation would not necessarily stall government business, suggesting that the ongoing economic struggles are more attributable to mismanagement by the government itself.
Ayariga further pointed out that, despite the court’s ruling, the balance of power in Parliament had shifted in favour of the Minority, and he remained firm in his position that the National Democratic Congress (NDC) MPs would not yield to the tactics of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) majority.
He emphasized that the NDC caucus would continue to stand its ground until the parliamentary standoff is resolved.
According to Ayariga, the real issue affecting Ghanaians is the government’s handling of the economy, which he argued has been poorly managed, resulting in the current economic hardships.
“Tell me what proper business is going to suffer? Tell me what proper businesses this government could have conducted within this period to change the circumstances of the suffering Ghanaians that are so important and urgent that we need to sit for the next couple of days to facilitate them to execute. Absolutely not. I don’t see any serious business this government has anyway.
“So far as we’re concerned, we don’t think that Ghanaians are going to lose anything by our decisions, I mean by the decision of the Speaker to adjourn the house sine die. Because to tell you the truth, we already opposed to some of the things.”
Earlier this morning, there was tight security before parliamentary proceedings, with the Majority walking out and leaving the Minority behind.
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