The Majority Leader in Parliament has chastised political analyst, Prof Ransford Gyampo, for suggesting that the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) should reshuffle its Parliamentary leaders to avert future fisticuffs.
Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, in reaction to the recommendation on JoyNews’ documentary, Ghana’s Hung Parliament: A Blessing or a Curse Part II”, asked Prof Gyampo not to stick his nose where it does not belong.
According to him, the outspoken lecturer does not qualify to give the governing party such suggestions since he is a “dyed in the wool” National Democratic Congress (NDC) affiliate.
“Let’s be realistic about this, he is not the person to tell us [NPP/Majority Caucus] the players we should field in our team, he should keep his advice to himself, with respect to him,” he told Kwesi Parker-Wilson.
He continued, “Everybody hears his pronouncements, have you heard Gyampo, ever condemn NDC?”
The Suame MP further explained that members of the Majority Caucus are not the instigators of the disturbances in the House.
However, they only react to the actions and pronouncements of their colleagues on the other side of the aisle.
“He is a Political Scientist, but let’s be clear that our own statement have always been to react to what the Minority has said. Is that difficult for Gyampo to accept? He is not advising them to desist from what they are doing but rather, we reacting and explaining matters to the general public, he is blaming us rather?
“That is why I am saying that if that is the situation, then he should keep his advice to himself. Why doesn’t he want to admit that most of these things are started by the NDC, but he is quick to say that it is the leadership of the Majority?”
Meanwhile, Prof Gyampo in an open letter has refuted claims that he is a member of the opposition NDC.
Describing the tag on him as blatant falsehood, the Political Science Lecturer said he has always commented on certain issues, regardless of the government in power.
“Sir, you claimed I haven’t criticised the NDC before. But I want to assume you have either forgotten or you were not in Ghana when the NDC was in power, and cannot also do a simple search of my comments against the Mills/Mahama regime. I, therefore, forgive you,” he wrote.
He continued, “I asked that you be replaced as Majority Leader, not out of malice but just to help your government maneuver and meander its way in governing even in the wake of the difficulties likely to be imposed by the kind of Parliament we currently have.”