Apprehension in Parliament

... As MPs prepare to bury another member
... One asks: Now who is next?
It’s perhaps in bad taste to make a joke about dying, but some Members of Parliament are putting a brave face to the recent loss of yet another colleague of theirs and are asking openly about what’s going on. It was a solemn occasion in Parliament last Thursday, when the half-full House was informed of the death of The Hon. Mr. Afrifa Kwesi, MP (NPP) for Fomena.

Though parliamentary proceedings proceeded as usual, members were visibly shaken as some of them could be seen and heard discussing their colleague’s death.

At lunch time in the parliamentary lounge, the MPs could still not come to terms with the announcement that Afrifa Kwesi was dead.

An MP and a former Minister of State, who came in late and was told about the death by another colleague, exclaimed “You don’t mean it, but it was only last week that he was reported ill”. His utterance brought some long silence in the lounge. Another MP, expressing his unease openly told this reporter “Press man or MP, we will all die”. Though the MPs expressed much sadness they did abandon their rice and stew, which was served them at lunch.

An MP was overheard asking colleagues with much pathos: “Now who is next?”

Though his colleagues laughed it off, he told them, “We will meet in Ashanti Region again”, obviously referring to the funeral that would follow or rather the bye-election. Expressing different opinions, the MP said “Ene die me wu”, meaning, “today I am dead” on recognizing an ADM reporter. “We are all sad”, he said. Another MP shouted in “Ene die ye be bu”, meaning “today we will get drunk”.

From the discussions, it was clear that the MPs loved Afrifa Kwesi. Neither the NPP nor the CPP nor even the NDC members said anything bad about the late MP. This, according to the MP for Suhum, Frederick Opare-Ansah is because “Afrifa is one person you won’t have anything bad to say about”.

He said Parliament and Ghana will really miss the services of Afrifa Kwesi because he was knowledgeable in the affairs of governance and parliamentary procedure.

“In fact when it comes to issues of governance he was an authority”, Frederick Opare Ansah mused.

He said Afrifa brought about much cohesion within the committee that he handled. “When you come and the committee is sitting he is very neutral”.

Since Election ’04, parliament has lost four members. They include the former members from Odododiodoo, Asawase, Offinso and now Fomena.