Minority leader Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson has dispelled claims he would be inefficient as leader of the opposition in Parliament because he is no lawyer.
According to him, the quality needed to be a Minority leader in Parliament is not related to the law profession, and cited past leaders as examples.
Addressing members of the Parliamentary Press Corps (PPC) on Wednesday, February 8, during an engagement with the leadership of the House, Dr. Ato Forson pointed out that Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu is not a lawyer but served eight years as a Minority leader and has been Majority leader for the past six years and counting.
According to him, regardless of the fact that the Majority leader is not a lawyer, he has discharged himself creditably and everyone knows what he can do.
He said, “In the first Parliament, J.H. Owusu Acheampong, the majority leader was not a lawyer; and you recall the famous Minority leader, J.H. Mensah, he was a former Finance Minister and became a Minority leader. He was an economist like me and he discharged himself.”
“So it doesn’t have to be that you should be a lawyer before you perform ”
“The only thing is that people think because if you become a minority leader you talk a lot and if you talk a lot then you have to be an Afenyo-Markin, I don’t think so.”
Hon. Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu who supported the stance of Dr. Ato Forson noted that to be a leader in Parliament requires a person to know something about almost everything because after everybody has spoken, the leader does the encapsulation of the matters and would be found wanting if he does not know.
He argued that when talking of leaders that the 4th Republic has seen, J.H. Mensah cannot be written off.
“He stands very tall, economist, a finance person and he distinguished himself. J.H. Owusu Acheampong was not a lawyer, he was an agriculturalist but was a master of the rules of procedure. Kwabena Adjei came with his own strength.”
“We had three lawyers in succession Alban Bagbin, Cletus Avoka, and Benjamin Kumbour. Their strengths are captured in the Hansard.”
“Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu is not a lawyer, not an economist, and not a finance man but I believe in all humility that I can stand my ground in every subject matter and that is what is required of a leader and I believe the Hon. Ato Forson can rise to the occasion.”
He expressed confidence the new Minority leader has the competence to apply himself to the rules of procedure so he won’t get bullied by the majority bench.
He pointed out, however, that the subject for discussion should be building Parliament as an institution and the need to speak on issues and how to grow parliament together and not about scoring personal points, which adds no value to growing the legislator.