Former Majority Leader in Parliament and outgoing Member of Parliament for Suame Constituency, Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, has question the decision by the National Council of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) to appoint the party’s leadership for the 9th Parliament of the Fourth Republic.
The National Council of the NPP recently appointed the Member of Parliament for Effutu constituency, Alexander Afenyo-Markin, as the minority leader for the 9th Parliament. In support of Afenyo-Markin’s leadership as Minority Leader of the 9th Parliament, the Member of Parliament for Asokwa constituency in the Ashanti region, Patricia Apiagyei was named Deputy Minority Leader.
Other appointments included Frank Annoh-Dompreh, MP for the Nsawam-Adoagyiri Constituency in the Eastern Region, as Chief Whip, with Habib Iddrisu, MP for the Tolon Constituency in the Northern Region, as First Deputy Minority Whip. Davies Opoku Ansah, MP for the Mpraeso Constituency in the Eastern Region, was named Second Deputy Minority Whip.
Reacting to these developments, Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu revealed that, although the NPP’s constitution permits the National Council to select the party’s leadership in Parliament, such practices is against the Standing Orders of Parliament.
According to him, parliamentary rules require that the leadership of both the Majority and Minority caucuses be chosen by their respective members in Parliament and not their party’s national executives.
“On the matter of the National Council coming in to determine the leadership of Parliament Indeed, it is provided for in the constitution of the NPP that it is the business of the National Council to do that but there is a new order.
“The new order is found in the standing orders of parliament and the standing orders provide that the leadership in majority caucus are choses by the caucus, that is the members of the caucus.
“In the same way, it is the members of the minority caucus, the members of parliament of the minority caucus that choose the leadership of the minority. There is a conflict between the parties constitution, the provision in the parties constitution, and that of the standing orders.” He said
Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, said he is not against the individuals selected by the National Council as the leaders of the NPP in the 9th Parliament of the Fourth republic as there is a need for continuity in the party’s leadership. However, he insisted that the Standing Orders of Parliament should have been observed since the Standing Orders of Parliament are national law unlike the party’s constitution.
It’s a clear conflict but between the two of them, the two documents, the standing order is statutory, it is a national law but the parties constitution is not a national law. That is what people should understand.
I do think that if it is left to the caucus to choose the leadership certainly I believe the members may consult with the party before they come to the conclusion as to who becomes their leader, that should be the procedure. It shouldn’t be as has been done.
I believe if it is left to the caucus members, they will also be pragmatic enough to realize that there should be some form of continuity in the leadership for reasons at least of maintaining institutional memory. You cannot clear the front bench entirely. So some continuity in my view will be required. And I thought that all these things will be left to the caucus themselves, because that is the law.
Source: Elvisanokyenews.com
