By Edzorna Francis Mensah
The NDC Minority Caucus in Parliament has announced to the public that they will only be available for the public business of Parliament after proceedings of the Court have ended on the days scheduled for the hearing of the ongoing ambulance case trial involving their leader.
Their decision comes on the back of the alleged refusal of the presiding High Court judge, Justice Afia Serwah Asare-Botwe (Mrs), to grant a request from the lawyers of the Minority Leader for the leave of the court to enable him to attend to important Parliamentary business on Tuesday, 11th June, 2024 when the House resumes its third meeting of the fourth session.
Addressing Journalists in Parliament on June 11, 2024, the Minority Chief Whip in the Parliament Kwame Governs Agbodza said, “last week, Justice Afia Serwah Asare-Botwe again rejected a similar request from the Parliament of Ghana to enable the Minority Leader take part in a meeting of the Parliamentary Service Board, which was due to take critical decisions ahead of the resumption of Parliament, among others.”
According to him, the NDC Caucus was left with no representation at these important meetings. “Today, as Parliament commences its third meeting of the fourth session of the eighth Parliament, the Minority Leader is expected to deliver a resumption address, join parliamentary leadership to engage the press, and undertake other important activities, as part of his legislative mandate.
These are part of very important parliamentary duties exclusively reserved for the leader of a Parliamentary Caucus at the commencement of a parliamentary meeting”.
He said the NDC Minority Caucus has taken notice of this worrying trend that shows an attempt by the trial judge, Justice Afia Serwah Asare-Botwe, to prevent the Minority Leader from performing his constitutional duties as an elected Member of Parliament and the Leader of the Minority Caucus.
“In the light of the above and the continuous persecution of the Minority Leader, the NDC Minority will continue in solidarity and stand by its Leader anytime he is due to appear in Court.
The NDC Minority Caucus further reserves the right to apply all other tools available to us in our approach to business on the floor.”
