The minister of communications and Member of Parliament Ursula Owusu-Ekuful has berated the Minority for boycotting the State of the Nation Address, Thursday.
The side which earlier announced they will be boycotting the sitting made their way out just as the national anthem ended.
Clad in black, they moved out repeating a part of the anthem that says 'and help us to resist oppressors rule with all our will and might forever more'. Members of the majority side however sent off their colleagues with chants of 'away'.
Their actions have triggered mixed reactions from the Ghanaian people.
Speaking on the matter, madam Owusu-Ekuful without mincing words, said the decision to boycott the proceedings was senseless.
“If indeed the president had said something offensive which they were reacting to, it would have been understood,” she said on JoyNews.
“But staging a walkout which is uncalled for, totally without reason, it looks as if they’ve taken leave of their senses; excuse me to say. Particularly when their leadership also indulges in this completely unnecessary and senseless exercise…”
About a week ago, the Minority expressed frustration about the delay of their share of the Common Fund for the third quarter of 2019, stressing that it is delaying the execution of projects in their constituencies.
They surmised the delay is a deliberate attempt to deprive them of working effectively and consequently competing fairly with their opponents, especially when the general election is some months away.
They then threatened to boycott the State of the Nation Address.
It takes the GOG a minimum of six mo the to pay new doctors, nurses, teachers and others on Gov’t payroll. Still, they show up and work. But NDC MPs have boycotted the #SOTNGhana because they haven’t received their share of the common fund. The nerve.
— Nana Ama Agyemang Asante (@JustNanaAma) February 20, 2020