"Minority Is Condoning Criminality By Boycotting Parliament" :Bagbin

The Majority in Parliament is disgusted at the Minority�s decision to boycott parliamentary proceedings over the remand of an New Patriotic Party (NPP) sympathizer who is alleged to have accused ex-President Jerry Rawlings of burning his own house. Addressing a press conference at Parliament House, the outgoing Majority Leader, Alban Bagbin, said the arrest and prosecution of Nana Darkwa was extraneous to parliament's business and did not warrant the action taken by the minority. Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, who is Leader of the Minority, early Friday morning announced a complete boycott of parliamentary proceedings in solidarity with the detained party sympathizer and called for his immediate release. He said until Nana Darkwa was released from prison and the Attorney-General drops charges against the NPP activist, Nana Darkwa Baafi, it will continue with the boycott. The accused has since been bailed, but the minority says they are monitoring the situation between Friday and Monday before a substantive decision is made. But Alban Bagbin has condemned the action by the minority, accusing them of condoning criminality. He explained that the NDC when in opposition had every reason to boycott parliamentary proceedings, given the many human rights abuses that occurred in the eight-year reign of the New Patriotic Party against Members of Parliament. He said however that in instances where perceived abuse directly involved persons other than MPs and were extraneous to parliamentary duties, they must not warrant a boycott.