Former Minority Chief Whip and Member of Parliament (MP) for Asawase, has fired back at some supporters of his party; the National Democratic Congress (NDC) who he said have given ”wild and mischievous interpretations” his eulogy to Dr Anthony Akoto Osei, who passed away last week.
Mohammed Muntaka Mubarak, in his eulogy on the floor of the House, sermonized against entrenched positions taken by MPs on issues affecting the country’s development.
Coming on the back of last Friday’s defiance of the directive from the national executives of the NDC on the Minority caucus in Parliament to reject President Nana Akufo-Addo’s new ministerial and Supreme Court nominees, leading to disappointment and anger across the length and breadth of the country, Muntaka Mubarak’s call is being subjected to all manner of reading, including being called a traitor.
But he has since explained “I was one of the many MPs from the Minority’s side who also eulogised the former MP. Unfortunately, my eulogy has been negatively and mischievously interpreted with the intent to cause disaffection for me”.
Mohammed Muntaka Mubarak, however, avoided going into last Friday’s incident with respect to the directive of the NDC national executives, as well as ex-President John Mahama to reject the nominees.
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On Wednesday, he had been on the floor of Parliament, saying recent developments in the House, have not been the best.
“We are taking so many extreme entrenched positions. Both those in government and those in opposition. And this is not helpful at all.”
“The earlier both sides begin to realize the positions we take have an impact on the country or otherwise, the better for us. Let us be careful not to sink the country.”
Yesterday, he took to Facebook, saying “My attention has been drawn to wild and mischievous interpretations, following my eulogy on the floor of the House of Dr Anthony Akoto Osei, who passed away last week.
“During Parliament’s sitting on Wednesday, Members of Parliament from both sides of the House paid tribute to the late Dr Anthony Akoto Osei, who served multiple times as a Member of Parliament.
“I was one of the many MPs from the Minority’s side who also eulogised the former MP. Unfortunately, my eulogy has been negatively and mischievously interpreted with the intent to cause disaffection for me.
“I urge the public to see that sitting of the House on parliament’s Facebook page and disregard the deliberately wild and negative interpretations.
“Let us all continue to put our shoulders to the wheel in the interest of our great party in unity.
The former Minority Chief Whip, had admonished his colleagues MPs, saying their entrenched positions on issues are affecting the country’s development.
He asked that MPs must consider the interest of the nation before taking decisions and called out both sides of the house for what he terms extreme partisanship.
According to the MP, the development has made it difficult for the national interest to be pursued. Rather party interests are always made paramount.
The comments of the immediate past Minority Chief Whip come days after his side voted to approve six ministerial nominees in defiance of party directive.
“We are taking too many entrenched positions on both sides, those in government taking too much entrench position, those in opposition taking extreme positions and I can tell you this is not helpful to our country, it is not helpful to us.
“The better both sides begin to think that there is a national interest above the NPP interest and above the NDC we will be sinking our country,” Muntaka stated.
First deputy speaker of Parliament, Joseph Osei-Owusu, who was presiding, in eulogizing the late Tafo MP, indicated that the late MP has always called for good governance as stated by the Asawase MP.
“There is one thing as has been confirmed by honorable Muntaka, in spite of our differences governance must go, that was always his position,” Mr Osei-Owusu stated.
