A Political Science Lecturer at the University of Ghana, Professor Ransford Gyampo has repeated his calls for Majority Leader, Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu and the entire leadership of the majority side to be overhauled.
He warned that government business in Parliament will continue to suffer if the NPP doesn’t overhaul its leadership.
This new call follows accusations by the Majority Leader that Prof Gyampo is a dyed-in-the-wool supporter of the NDC whose commentaries on national issues are always skewed in favour of the NDC.
In a sharp rebuttal, however, Prof Gyampo said his advice for the Suame MP to be replaced was not borne out of malice but for the governing NPP to be able to have a better footing in Parliament.
“I asked that you be replaced as majority leader, not out of malice but just to help your government manoeuvre and meander its way in governing even in the wake of the difficulties likely to be imposed by the kind of parliament we currently have.”
In the open letter to the Majority leader, Professor Gyampo, questioned the inability of the Majority side to marshall their numbers to the Chamber.
“Sir, in an attempt to pass the e-levy, you have been unable to mobilize all your 137 plus 1 MPs to give simple majority support for the proposal. If all 137 plus 1 MPs vote while Speaker Bagbin sits, the e-levy, regardless of the public outcry against it, will pass by a simple majority decision. If you cannot mobilize all your members to support the e-levy, the next strategy will be to court the support of a few members of the NDC, like the NDC successfully did in getting Bagbin elected as Speaker. But this one too, you haven’t been able to do.”
He further stressed that there are some moderate NPP MPs who can lead the NPP side and make genuine efforts at building consensus.
“I sincerely believe that the current parliament has no room for political hawks in its leadership and that, there are some moderate NPP MPs who can lead in parliament to build bridges and whose utterances won’t be repulsive to genuine efforts at building consensus. That’s why I asked, and I am still asking for your reshuffle. If this makes me an NDC man, well, the good people of Ghana are better judges.”
Professor Gyampo further insisted that the Majority leader cannot lead the current parliament with the “same hawkish tendencies” saying without the necessary changes, the business of government will suffer.
“But respectfully, you cannot continue to lead with the same hawkish tendencies when clearly the current composition of parliament makes the need to change leadership a categorical imperative. Without changes, government business will suffer, and the effect will be more felt by we the ordinary people.”