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A Senior Vice President of IMANI-Africa, Kofi Bentil, says the New Patriotic Party (NPP)’s Majority in Parliament has not been strategically prudent in its handling of certain issues in the House.
He argued that the challenges the party is facing currently in raising the required number to push government’s agenda could have been avoided if its MPs had acted tactfully during the selection of the Deputy Speakers.
Speaking on Newsfile on Saturday, Kofi Bentil, observed that due to the hung nature of Parliament, the NPP should not have allowed the Bekwai MP to occupy the Deputy Speaker.
“It is quite obvious from all we can see that the NPP is having problems with their parliamentary strategy. For me, it is surprising because some of these things should have been obvious. On the day the Speaker was elected, I remember remarking that I don’t see why the NPP was accepting the Deputy Speakership.”
“Because any time the Speaker is not there and the Deputy Speaker sits, they will be short by one. In a situation where one vote makes a difference, strategy-wise, they shouldn’t have been doing that but they did,” he told Newsfile Host, Samson Anyenini.
He made these comments in connection with some legal cases the NPP is pursuing against the Assin North legislator, James Gyakye Quayson and the Jomoro MP, Dorcas Afo Toffey over issues pertaining to dual citizenship.
The Minority group has described the recent developments as plots by government to use the courts to tilt the balance in Parliament and reduce their numbers in order to pass the controversial E-levy.
Reacting to this, Mr Bentil said the NPP’s initial strategic failure is what has now spilt over into the courts.
According to him, “the NPP was so confident [during the election of the Speaker] but they lacked the strategy and allowed the NDC to win on that.”
“In the practice of law, strategy can be more effective than the law itself. Having seen that they are having a problem in Parliament, the NPP, rightly so, is using some advantages that they may get from the court.”
“This matter precedes E-levy. It just turns out that if they pursue this matter a bit more diligently, it will help them in Parliament,” he added.
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