Majority Leader, Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, has urged the new Minority leadership in Parliament to cooperate with his side, to deliver transparent and accountable legislature.
He said the new leadership of the Minority led by Dr Cassiel Ato Forson, has what it takes to deliver on its mandate and must cooperate to deliver the parliament Ghanaians expect to see.
“I trust that with the (Dr Ato Forson) leadership, we can work together to achieve the functionality of parliament.
“I look forward, and indeed all of us in leadership from the majority look forward to working with the new leadership in a very professional manner to promote transparent and accountable government that will indeed help to grow Ghana, improve living standards of our people,” Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, MP, Suame, said.
He made the call in his welcome address upon the House reconvening yesterday in Accra to commence the first meeting of the third session of the eighth Parliament.
Wishing the outgone Minority leadership well in their future endeavors, the Majority Leader said “Haruna has become a part of me for the past six years that we have worked together. On occasions, there were allegations of a sell-out.
“Let me use this occasion to state emphatically and unambiguously that no such thing ever happened. I’ve developed a very harmonious working relationship with him and people read meanings into them,” he said.
According to Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, “the business of the minority leader is to assist the majority leader to facilitate government’s work and that should not be perceived as a sell-out to the majority”.
He expressed appreciation to the outgone minority leadership for the services they have rendered, not only to the minority caucus but to Parliament.
“They have been of tremendous assistance in building parliament as an institution, Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu said.
“Occasionally, in our working relationship, there were hiccups, but that is what happens in established parliaments in established democracies,” he noted.
Dr Forson, Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah and Governs Kwame Agbodza were appointed by the National Democratic Congress (NDC) to replace Haruna Iddrisu, James Klutse Avedzi and Alhaji Mohammed Mubarak Muntaka, as Minority Leader, Deputy Minority Leader and Chief Whip respectively, during the recess.
The appointment initially divided the front of the Minority, but calm has been restored after a caucus meeting with the party leadership on Monday.
BY JULIUS YAO PETETSI
