The fact remains that if the Party had not thrown Hon Asiamah out in 2020, the NDC would not have considered using Art. 97 (1g & h) in their favour.
Folks,
In my humble opinion, the NPP is to blame for whatever is happening in Parliament today.
Since 2000, some sitting MPs filed and contested the next elections on different tickets that brought them to Parliament. None of them were punished with Art 97 (1g & h).
Then in 2020, our Party used our Art 9 (1) to punish a sitting MP who decided to run independent. We had him removed from Parliament with less than two months to elections. After that we celebrated and thanked ourselves.
The Party’s Art 9 (1), we evoked, has some similarities with Art. 97 (1g & h) of the Constitution and so seeing what was going on in Parliament today, which could be to their advantage, the NDC MPs evoked Art. 97 (1g & h).
No matter how much we may disagree with Bagbin, he has the law on his side. The Supreme Court justices can say whatever they like, we only want to hear how they will interpret Art.97 (1g & h), to our understanding.
And look who is running all over the place crying that Art. 97 (1g & h) cannot be applied in Parliament? I wonder where sincerity has gone to in the Party.
We have our Art. 9 (1) which is to protect the Party and enhance loyalty. There is no problem here. However, the Party will only dismiss any Party member who runs independent and loses. Whenever anyone decides to go independent, Art, 9 (1) is not evoked. When he wins and goes to Parliament, his status is still maintained as a member and he is asked to join the NPP in the House. We have the case of Joseph Osei Owusu (Bekwai), Ofori-Kuragu (Bosome Freho), Seth Adjei Baah (Nkawkaw) and Saani Iddi (Wulensi) in 2008, who were all card bearing members of the NPP who run independent and won. In the Fifth Parliament, they were pleaded with to join the NPP but Saani Iddi who was very bitter about the way he was treated during the primaries, went to join the NDC and was rewarded with a deputy ministerial appointment.
Seth Adjei Baah’s case is even interesting. In 2004, he felt cheated during the NPP primaries and decided to run independent but lost, He was dismissed from the Party and when he applied to come back, he was told he would have to wait his turn, so, he would not be eligible to contest in 2008. He got angry, ran independent in 2008 and won, for this one, the Party recognised him as a Party member and invited him to join the NPP MPs in Parliament.
So, why did the Party not follow this tradition, in the case of Andrew Asiamah, but chose to show him how mighty and powerful the Party is, by removing him from the House? A sitting MP for that matter.
Then what did we see next? This high, mighty and powerful Party went down on its knees and begged Asiamah to join it to form the majority in Parliament.
This hypocritical show of might and power which is very inconsistent with raw wisdom and fair justice is what NPP is. The Party’s own laws are applied unfairly, just to suit whoever and we call ourselves the beacon of democracy.
The fact remains that if the Party had not thrown Hon Asiamah out in 2020, the NDC would not have considered using Art. 97 (1g & h) in their favour. Hon Asiamah was not the first MP to decide to contest the next election on a different ticket.
To me, we deserve what we are getting. The NPP side must obey the Speaker and go back to Parliament as the Minority side. After all, the only thing here is, history will be made, to have a government in power with the minority in Parliament. But I do not think this is against the Constitution because we do not operate a Parliamentary democracy.
Source: Daniel Dugan
