The Minority Leader of Parliament says he has apologized to President Mills for failing to escort him out of parliament after the President delivered his 3rd State of the Nation address, consistent with tradition. Mr. Kyei Mensah-Bonsu who was on Joy FM’s Super Morning Show Friday to discuss issue relating to the President’s State of the Nation address said he rendered an apology when he spoke to the President after proceedings in parliament. After the President delivered his address Thursday, the Minority Leader described the speech as the most partisan and divisive address in the nation’s history and consequently broke protocol by refusing to escort the President out of the chamber. The action attracted condemnation from sections of the public and Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu says he has settled his differences with the president: “The president and I engaged yesterday and he spoke to me about what happened and the fact that he had spoken to the former president [and] the Chief Justice and even come out to render [an] apology and I also explained to him what happened and I told him that it was not personal but against the events of the chamber for which reason I [also] expressed my utmost regret and apologised… and I assured him beyond that, this is not going to happen again.” On the issue of heckling by members of the minority, Mr. Kyei Mensah-Bonsu said he had arranged with the former majority leader of Parliament, Alban Bagbin to ensure that there is no such acrimony between members of the house during such addresses but this was always contingent on the conduct of the official who appeared before the House. “I was not happy with [chaotic parliamentary heckling] which is why, entering this dispensation, I had an arrangement with my colleague [Alban] Bagbin when he was the Majority Leader that, no, let’s not do this; let’s not continue to do this. We will not pay you back by what you did,” he said, recounting situations in the past when the NDC parliamentarians had heckled former government officials of the NPP. He explained that he had met his caucus a day before the President’s address where they agreed not to create any acrimony in the house during the speech. “I met my caucus and told them that they shouldn’t do that. Heckling yes, but they should not overplay it including the use of abusive language. It is not necessary, but we all said that it was contingent upon the comportment of the person, His Excellency to deliver the message. We were not too happy with what happened yesterday.” He insisted that the President’s “aspersions and insinuations were not necessary” and that this coupled with what he thought was the deliberate attempt by the President to ignore the Chief Justice and former President Kufuor informed his action not to escort the President out of the chamber. But Majority Leader Cletus Avoka who was also on the programme bemoaned the minority's actions calling it unfortunate. He said both sides of the House had met their respective caucuses to ensure that such an action would not happen, insisting that “what happened yesterday was an embarrassment to the whole nation. The international community was there, everybody - the whole world was watching us - the demeanor we exhibited yesterday was not the best.” Mr. Avoka said the minority came to parliament yesterday with a prejudice and that was evident in the display of placards and sheets that read 'all-die-be-die.' “I fail to see which aspects of the President’s speech were divisive and provocative to the extent that, whether it was personal on the party or an individual, the president was only raising issues; don’t beat war drums,” he added. Story by Derick Romeo Adogla/Myjoyonline.com/Ghana