We won't descend into the gutters with Afenyo-Markin - Deputy Minority leader

The deputy Minority leader in parliament, Emmanuel Armah Kofi Buah, has descended on the deputy majority leader, Alexander Afenyo-Markin, for saying that the minority have no thinking cap and no respect for the constitution.

According him, they won’t descend into the gutter with him as he has not held any ministerial or deputy ministerial position before, hence, he should be ignored.

The Deputy Majority Leader, on Monday, described the NDC’s call for the minority in parliament to decline the approval of new ministers and deputies as disrespectful.

According to him, the party’s General Secretary, Fifi Kwetey, cannot sit in his party office and issue a press statement and direct MPs to reject the nominees of the president.

He added that, for the minority to take directives from the party’s leadership meant they have no thinking caps and respect for the constitution.

“…one would have thought that the NDC minority will give respect to the orders of the Speaker which is part of the constitutional imperative that when nominees are announced the appointment committee will vet them in accordance with the constitution. Let me state that the rejection or otherwise of a nominee is constitutional.

“The General Secretary cannot sit in his party office and issue a press statement and direct MPs to reject the nominees of the president. It is a sign of disrespect to parliament, the Speaker. And clearly what the NDC is telling Ghanaians is that they don’t respect the constitution and that the new leadership they just announced is not the type of leadership with ability to respect the constitution and that they have thinking caps,” Afenyo-Markin said.

It is in response to this that Emmanuel Armah Kofi Buah said “The deputy majority leader yesterday, appeared to have sounded that this statement meant that the NDC had no respect for constitution and that members of parliament were basically being ordered around. Let me put it on record that first of all, the members of parliament were very excited about that decision because we were in clear agreement with that decision with our party and it is in keeping faith with the people of Ghana.

“Unfortunately, in that statement, Afenyo-Markin implied that the fact that the new leadership, working with the minority, were standing firm with the people of Ghana meant that we did not have our thinking caps on. First of all, we will not descend in the gutters with Hon Afenyo-Markin; the reason is because we have a reputation to protect. I will ask Hon Afenyo-Markin to look at the minority leadership, these are people who have gone through vetting, served as deputy ministers and minsters, I pray he can go through that process, so we won’t descend in the gutter with him.” He said

YNA/DA