The Speaker of the Parliament of Ghana, Rt. Hon. Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin, has told the newly appointed leaders of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) Minority Group in the legislature not to be troubled in the discharge of their duties.
He said should they encounter any difficulty in their line of duty, they should not hesitate to knock at his door, since he is always available to assist them to succeed.
According to him, grooming and nurturing young politicians to take up the mantle of leadership has been his passion as a father, referencing his immense contributions in the lives of many Members of Parliament (MPs) who have risen to the top and occupying various key positions.
“I have brought up some, campaigned for them, worked for them to become Members of Parliament and when they joined me, I did everything possible for them – to empower them; groom them; mentor them and to give them opportunities. This is how far we’ve come”, he noted.
He added, “I gave, yes, an iota of advice and I want all of you to abide by it. I have gone through it myself and with maturity, I have benefitted a lot. On many occasions, I went launching their campaigns. On some occasions, I had to campaign to make sure that they won.
Today, where I passed is where they have passed through. And it’s my duty and my responsibility to make sure that those coming after me performs better than me. That is when you talk about development and growth. Your son or daughter must do better than you and that is my responsibility.
I owe it to all of you for reciprocating and making it possible for me to be Speaker of this House. I will never forget what happened that day and I want to assure you of my continuous support and guidance even if I am not the Speaker of this House. So, please don’t be troubled at all”.
Speaker Bagbin made these firm assurances when he welcomed the new leaders of the NDC Minority Group in Parliament on Tuesday, February 7, 2023.
This was after the new Minority Leader, Cassiel Ato Forson had expressed his appreciation to the NDC for elevating him and his other colleagues to lead their parliamentary caucus.
The Ajumako-Enyan-Esiam legislator, while addressing the House for the first time, assured the Speaker that he would collaborate effectively with him in the discharge of his duties to ensure the deepening of parliamentary democracy in the country.
He, however, cautioned that his leadership will not entertain any lackadaisical attitude on the part of government officials and institutions and that, they would assiduously put the government in proper check.
He also assured that his leadership will not countenance any bad governance from the Akufo-Addo-led government.
He also added that the caucus remains firm, resolute and principled in its journey to discharge its oversight duties.
The Majority Leader, Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, on his part, told the House that it was important to put it on record that the outgone Minority Leader, Haruna Iddrisu, was not a sell-out or compromised his stance to the Majority Caucus.
According to him, the duty of the Minority Leader is to assist the Majority Leader to facilitate government business in the House, a role, he noted, was religiously carried out by Haruna Iddrisu.
By Stephen Odoi-Larbi
