The Deputy Majority Chief Whip, Habib Iddrisu has criticised Minority MPs over their decision to abandon parliamentary business to solidarise with their colleagues facing criminal trials in court.

He described their action as “unfortunate.”

In an interview on Joy FM’s Top Story on Thursday, the lawmaker alleged that not all of the Minority MPs who boycotted parliament were in court to support their two colleagues.

“It must be on record that not all 137 of them were in court,” he insisted.

This, according to Mr Iddrisu, is due to the time difference in the court hearings for both cases.

“If you look at the time even Parliament starts and you look at the time the cases of Dr Ato Forson and Quayson were called, my checks show that I think one was planted around 11 o’clock, the other one was around 4 o’clock, and we started proceeding today after 12 o’clock, and they have come to ask a lot of questions and the Ministers were there and answers provided yet they were not in the Chamber,” he said.

https://myjoyonline.com/minority-abandon-parliament-to-solidarise-with-gyakye-quayson-and-ato-forson/

According to him, the Minority decided to tow that line with the intention of frustrating government business not purposely to solidarise with their colleagues – Minority Leader, Dr Cassiel Ato Forson and Assin North MP, James Gyakye Quayson.

He added that the example the Minority MPs are setting is very bad for the country’s democracy.

His comments come after all NDC MPs boycotted parliamentary proceedings on Thursday, July 6, to solidarise with its leader, Dr Cassiel Ato Forson and Assin North MP James Gyakye Quayson over their respective criminal trials. 

According to the Tolon MP, the criminal charges levelled against the Minority MPs are nothing new since some New Patriotic Party MPs have also gone through it without boycotting their duties in parliament.

He made reference to when the late Adamu Sakande was prosecuted over dual citizenship allegations as a Member of Parliament.

“This is just an indication that our colleagues want to frustrate government business,” he said.