7th parliament mentality not welcomed in 8th Parliament – MP warns

Member of Parliament (MP) for the Oforikrom Constituency, Dr. Emmanuel Marfo has asserted that the majority group in Parliament has a huge role to play in ensuring trust, hence, the smooth execution of the house’s mandate.

According to him, the attitude of the majority group made up of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and Independent MP from the Fomena Constituency will determine if there will be some friction and incidents of sabotage in Parliament.

He noted that for the affairs of Parliament to be smooth, there must be trust and consensus building because of the close numbers of both the majority and minority groups in Parliament.

Speaking in an interview with Samuel Eshun on the Happy Morning Show aired on e.TV Ghana and Happy 98.9 FM, the MP said, “The 7th Parliament mentality cannot work in the 8th Parliament. As a majority group, we will have to listen to the NDC on their stance on issues and not try to force things on them. Consensus building is important and if this is possible, it falls largely on the NPP.

He believes should the NPP refuse to build consensus with the opposition, they (NDC) will probably seek to undermine the ruling government to re-capture power in 2024. “We need to work right for the NDC to help us. I think if NDC will cooperate with us, a lot will depend on us the NPP and we have a huge responsibility. The attitude of our leadership and honesty will go a long way to get the other side to get along with us,” he reiterated.

Admitting that the majority group will definitely not have its way all the time, he indicated, “Being the majority doesn’t mean we will be right all the time. We must listen to the opposition and review what they share with us if we want to build the nation. The 7th Parliament mentality cannot work in the 8th”.

The politician appealed to the opposition to be responsible and avoid acting irrationally because they have the numbers to block votes.
The ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) each won 137 seats, with one constituency being won by an independent candidate making up the country’s Parliament of 275 seats.