Information reaching The aL-hAJJ indicates that all is not well within the minority in parliament as some of the New Patriotic Party Members of Parliament (MPs) are up in arms against their leader, Hon. Osei Kyei Mensah Bonsu.
The Minority MPs, who are said to be gnashing their teeth over what they described as the Minority leader’s “autocratic leadership style,” are also reported brooding over his alleged dalliance with the ruling National Democratic Congress, this paper has gathered.
A source within the minority who pleaded anonymity said his colleagues MPs are also accusing the veteran Suame legislator of virtually monopolizing all foreign trips allotted the minority. The obvious disenchanted minority MP said their leader; “Mr. Bonsu does not even delegate some of the foreign trips meant for the minority side of the house to other members of the leadership save his few cronies, let alone, to talk of back benchers”.
The aggrieved minority lawmakers, who are said to be contemplating, changing Osei Kyei Mensah Bonsu, have also accused the minority leader of having been compromised by the ruling party, “because of the favors he gets from the corridors of power.”
The Suame MP, his accusers allege, has since his nomination as the minority leader in 2009 been selective in picking minority MPs to attend to international conferences, capacity building programs and other opportunities meant for parliamentarians.
One of the aggrieved minority MPs from Ashanti region who pleaded anonymity, noted “I have been in parliament for the past 12 years, but I can bet you that I’ve never been offered any opportunity to travel or go anywhere for capacity building programs.” “It’s a pity that we all campaigned to win primaries and subsequently contested in competitive elections and won, but in this house some people think they are more human than others. All of us cannot lead the minority at the same time that is why when you are offered the opportunity, you have to be fair,” the raged minority MP noted.
Without mincing words, he vowed to participate in moves to get Osei Kyei Mensah Bonsu replaced, insisting “I will fully participate in current discussions to get him replaced…that I can assure you. I cannot be in this house and be treated like a second class member.”
Some of the minority MPs also complained that the minority leader does not consult his colleagues fronting the minority when taking decision, with one of them (name withheld) saying “sometimes, we only get to know of his (Osei Kyei Mensah Bonsu) whereabouts in the media.
One of the MPs noted that but for their support, the Suame MP would have been defeated in the recently conducted primaries, saying “because of his lifestyle his own people were against him and wanted to change him. But it took some of us to intervene to get him reelected. We did that because it would be big shame to the minority side if our leader is humiliated at the party primaries.”
All Attempts to reach the Minority Leader proved futile
<<Print>>