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Ghana:Opposition Parliamentarians to meet


Members of Ghana’s main opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) party are expected to meet today to re-strategize what next to do after they boycotted eight consistent parliamentary sittings. The opposition members have been protesting a ten-year jail sentence slapped on one of their colleagues for allegedly causing financial loss to the state, amounting to about four hundred thousand dollars ($400,000.00).

Doe Ajaho is the Deputy Minority Leader in Ghana’s parliament. He said the opposition members of parliament will be meeting today.

“The caucus is going to meet this morning to discuss the issue and indeed his letter would be put before the caucus. And we would look at it. I’m only one member of that caucus, even though I’m in leadership, I do not want to impose my personal view on anybody. But I think that we will discuss the whole matter, review it together with others coming from other quarters,” he said.

Ajaho said an announcement would be made once they make their decision after the meeting.

“We will review the whole situation since the boycott and then we will take a decision and let the people of Ghana know,” Ajaho noted.

He said the boycott brought international attention to what he called the persecution of opposition members by the ruling party.

“Absolutely, because we’ve been able to draw the national and international community’s attention to the NPP’s (ruling New Patriotic Party’s) agenda of persecuting former ministers and members of the NDC. And now people are asking why are you on boycott? You are talking to me from the Voice Of America and I believe that for the fact that we have taken this step, maybe you would not have gotten the details of Dan Obodakpi’s case (against a jailed Member of Parliament),” he said.

Ajaho said they have other options to continue protesting what he called the wrongs against them.

“For me the boycott has achieved its purpose so far. But that does not mean that is the end of our struggle. The boycott is only one the arsenals at our disposal,” he said.

Adjaho said deeds, not words will corroborate President John Kufuor’s call for an end of the boycott and a need for reconciliation.

“We expect the President to demonstrate what he says. Appealing and talking about reconciliation is not the problem. He must put something on the table; he must show that, yes, he is truly and genuinely committed to reconciliation. So far, I have not seen that coming from him,” Ajaho said.

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