Kabila withdraws petition against Ken Agyapong; blasts Parliament

James Kwabena Bomfeh, a youth activist, has withdrawn a petition he filed against Assin Central MP, Ken Agyapong, citing Parliament’s lack of interest in the matter.

On 19th April, 2017, Mr. Bomfeh petitioned Parliament "to cause an inquiry into certain reckless and reprehensible conduct of the Member of Parliament for Assin Central, Hon. Kennedy Agyapong."

However, the petitioner is convinced that Parliament is disinterested in the matter despite several reminders.

“Given your studied silence on the petition to date and the tenor of unofficial meetings with the leadership of the House on the petition including one meeting with you personally it has become clear to me I should not expect any serious treatment or consideration of matters raised in my petition,”he stated in a letter to parliament on Monday

Below is the full statement:

September 4, 2017.

The Right Honourable Speaker of Parliament Parliament House Accra-Ghana

Dear Sir,

WITHDRAWAL OF PETITION AGAINST THE CONDUCT OF THE MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT FOR ASSIN CENTRAL, HON. KENNEDY KWAME OHENE AGYAPONG

1. It is with the greatest disappointment that I write to inform you of my loss of interest in pursuing the above petition.

2. Your office was served with the original petition on April 18, 2017. Realizing the error regarding the stated constituency of the MP in question, the petition was resubmitted the following day, April 19, 2017, with the appropriate constituency of the MP.

3. A reminder was sent to your office on June 1, 2017 after waiting for two months without any acknowledgement from your office of receipt of the petition.

4. Given your studied silence on the petition to date and the tenor of unofficial meetings with the leadership of the House on the petition including one meeting with you personally it has become clear to me I should not expect any serious treatment or consideration of matters raised in my petition.

5. It is important for the purposes of public record that I indicate that my decision to withdraw the petition arose from the disrespect I have suffered from your office for being a responsible citizen concerned about the sanctity as well as dignity of the August House of Parliament without which our democratic practice would be a mockery.

6. I am extremely disappointed and I consider it a great disservice to the nation and our democracy that you have failed to use this glamorous opportunity to set and pronounce on standards of conduct expected of our Honourable Members of Parliament. I do wish to think that your disregard of my petition is not the product of partisanship that the Minority in Parliament has accused you of.

7. It is my strong conviction that your refusal or neglect to consider my petition shows that Parliament has not been even-handed, fair and just in dealing with matters concerning the protection of its sanctity or dignity. It confirms the uncomfortable truth that in Parliament’s view only the conduct of ordinary citizens can derogate from its dignity and not that of Members of Parliament. Nothing can be further from the truth!

Long Live our Democracy! Yours sincerely

James Kwabena Bomfeh Jnr.

CC: 1. THE CLERK OF PARLIAMENT

2. THE HON. FIRST DEPUTY SPEAKER

3. THE HON. SECOND DEPUTY SPEAKER

4. THE HON. MAJORITY LEADER

5. THE HON. MINORITY LEADER