Minority Leader Cassiel Ato Forson has issued a stern caution that parliamentary cooperation will be impacted in response to the intensified persecution faced by the Member of Parliament for Assin North, James Gyakye Quayson.
The caucus stands firm in its position and vows to escalate its boycott in the future.
During an interview in Parliament, Ato Forson emphasized that all options are under consideration, and the caucus will continuously evaluate its stance and respond accordingly.
The trigger for the Minority Leader’s warning was the High Court’s decision to hold daily criminal proceedings for the Assin North MP, a move requested by the Attorney-General and Minister for Justice, Mr. Godfred Yeboah Dame.
Despite pending applications for a stay of proceedings and a hearing before the Court of Appeal, the High Court ruled in favour of continuing with the daily trials.
Ato Forson argues this relentless tactic aims to obstruct Quayson’s ability to carry out his parliamentary responsibilities effectively and represent the people of Assin North.
He said, “Be mindful of the constitutional provision that says a member of Parliament cannot absent himself for 15 days consecutively. The spirit of that provision is to get MPs to represent the cause of their constituents in the House.”
“However, the action of the Attorney-General and the Court is virtually undermining the spirit of this Constitutional provision that says a member must not be absent for more than 15 consecutive days.”
Ato Forson argued this is nothing but persecution and stressed the Minority will fight it.
According to him, on the basis of this, the Minority’s cooperation with the Majority will cease until the rights of the Assin North MP are respected and he is allowed to represent his people in the spirit of the Constitution.