Be measured in your responses to Haruna Iddrisu - Gyampo tells Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu

With controversies already surrounding the eighth Parliament and the fact that both NPP and NDC have 137 seats in the legislative house, Professor Ransford Gyampo, a Political Science lecturer at the University of Ghana has advised Majority Leader of the 7th Parliament, Mr. Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu to be mindful with his choice of words when dealing with Minority Leader, Haruna Iddrisu.

According to Mr. Gyampo, the nature of the next Parliament and the fact that the ruling government will at some point need the approval of the NDC MPs should be enough reason for Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu who has been once again proposed as a Majority Leader in the next Parliament to tone down his ‘overly partisan comments’ going forward.

“With respect, I think Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu may rather be living in a dreamland if he doesn’t learn the rubrics of sounding conciliatory in his utterances and comments in response to “provocations” from Iddrisu Haruna. This, coupled with the unprecedented voter attitude of Ghanaians in ensuring that Parliament remains what it is likely to be, in the next few days, should make him approach his overly partisan commentary with some trepidation, going forward”.

Touching on the issue of the NPP’s plan to rely on the Fomena MP to form the Majority in the next Parliament, he said:

“Osei-Kyei-Mensah must know that per our constitutional arrangement, the Fomena Constituency MP isn’t a member of the NPP, albeit he may choose to vote with them. Take a second look at the definition of what a Hung Parliament is. The definition is centred on Political parties and not Independent candidates.”

Meanwhile, President-elect Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo in his final State of The Nation Address said the seeming ‘gridlock’ in the next House calls for tolerance and new ways of conducting affairs in the chamber.

According to the President, he anticipates a dramatic change in the mood of the 8th Parliament throughout its entire life span.