Deputy Minister of Energy under the John Mahama administration, John Abdulai Jinapor has justified the decision by the minority in parliament to boycott last Thursday’s state of the nation address by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.
He disclosed that the criticisms by a section of the majority about their conduct will not deter them from engaging in the action which within their purview indicating that they are unfazed.
“I support what was done by the minority and praise them for taking that action”, he disclosed on Accra-based Adom Fm monitored by MyNewsGh.com.
According to him, when the then minority walked out during the state of the nation address under the previous administration they were praised by a section of Ghanaians and condemned by others stating that they are all operating within the ambits of the country’s constitution.
“Today we have walked out, some people are praising us and others are criticizing us. What we did is within the ambits and remits of the law. Just like the government issued a white paper we also used the law to criticize it. We will continue to do what is right and proper within the constitution. We wanted to send a signal to the President and we have done just that”, he stressed.
It would be recalled that the Minority in Parliament walked out of the House when President Akufo-Addo was just about to deliver his 4th State of the Nation Address.
The Minority said President Akufo-Addo who was democratically elected has thrown democratic principles away and embraced tyranny according to a statement read by Minority Leader Haruna Iddrisu.
“Since becoming President of our republic, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has conducted the affairs of state with the kind of tyranny, despotism and authoritarianism that frightens many objective observers.
“We have in the face of extreme provocation exercised restraint and urged the president to depart from his perilous path that puts the democracy of our country at great risk.
“Sadly, matters are totally out of control. The democracy we all toiled and sacrificed to establish is now threatened by the highhandedness of President Akufo-Addo. The man who in opposition styled himself as a champion democrat has turned out to be a nightmare and an existential threat to our fledgling democracy.”