CASSIEL ATO FORSON AND ARMAH-BUAH LED MINORITY SIDE,

THE FRESH BREATHER WE NEED?

The Greek philosopher Aristotle always opined that it is within our darkest moments that we must focus to see the light and so in the midst of speculative assertions, I would urge my readers not to cast judgement yet. Nonetheless, when you live in a country full of never-ending drama and stories, you realize that we are indeed in one of our darkest periods.

Today, Ghanaians and persons who affiliate with the National Democratic Congress (NDC), the opposition party, woke up to news of a reshuffling of the party’s leadership in parliament. The Minority caucus led by erstwhile lawyer and MP for Tamale South, Hon. Haruna Iddrisu gets a breather in the person of Hon. Cassie Ato Forson, MP for Ajumako Enyan Esiam. Other changes bring Hon. Armah Kofi Buah as Deputy Minority leader and Hon. Kwame Agbodza as Minority Whip.

It is obvious that the NDC intends to reshape its outlook towards parliamentary affairs especially when the nation is going back to the IMF for a debt restructuring program due to “reckless” spending by the current government. This fresh breath of leadership does not only renew the trust of young people in the party’s governance system, but will re-shape the course of parliamentary correspondence till the general election in 2024.

I posit that the action of the NDC leadership was certainly in line with law and did not require binding consultation of the Minority caucus in parliament. Order 7 of the Standing Orders of Parliament in defining “Minority Leader” describes the position as “ a Member of Parliament designated by the Party…”. In this circumstance, the party would obviously refer to the NDC and its leadership structure.

It would be worse off on our side as party folk and Ghanaians to completely dismiss this selection as biased, unnecessary and uncalled for without looking at the prevailing circumstances facing Ghana. This decision might as well be crucial since it sets the party aside from the ruling New Patriotic Party in terms of leadership and restructure. We can all recount how Ghanaians have called for reshuffling and resignation of some ministers of state but these have fallen on deaf ears.

The NDC is simply instilling hope and trust in Ghanaians, after all, one day the young shall lead. Equally, a shift in representation in terms of regional demographics can be observed with these changes. For the first time in a long while, we have an MP from the Western Region being an integral part of party leadership. The move is certainly to consolidate gains.

If the argument of experience is raised, it should not suffice. I am sure the new TEAM is ready to battle the intricacies with the wealth of knowledge they have. What NDC folk should do is not to criticize overly but throw support behind them. Election in 2024 is definitely not a long walk from here.

By Chleo-Patra Azantilow