Don’t desert Parliament – Speaker encourages ‘losing’ MPs
The Speaker of Parliament, Professor Aaron Mike Oquaye, has encouraged sitting Members of Parliament (MP), who lost the bid to compete in the December polls not to desert the House, because they will not be returning to the House on the ticket of their political parties.
Speaker Oquaye said service to Ghana could come in various portfolios and not only via parliamentary duties.
His words of encouragement come in the wake of 40 New Patriotic Party (NPP) MPs losing the party’s recent parliamentary primaries.
The National Democratic Congress in its August 2019 primaries also saw nine sitting MPs, including five-term Member, Joseph Yieleh Chireh, losing the contest.
Addressing the House at the commencement of business, Prof Oquaye said losing primaries was not the end of the world, adding, “Being out of Parliament does not mean you are not going to serve.”
Speaker Oquaye said, “We know that you can leave parliament and serve in government. Some have done that even strongly outside parliament than inside parliament.
“Let us all attach seriousness to the business of the House with all the seriousness and punctuality so that when fortune smiles on your party at the elections, some of you can still continue to play important roles in the next government.”
According to him, in a competitive political environment some of these ‘shocks’ must be expected.
“Once you win a fight, be prepared to lose one someday. In fact, if nobody lost, nobody would have been here,” he preached.
To their followers, Prof Oquaye urged that “let us learn to cool them down and let them know that we understand the enterprise of politics.
“That in itself is good for the political hemisphere for peace and prosperity”.
BY JULIUS YAO PETETSI
