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Madam Patricia Appiagyei, Deputy Minority Leader, has accused the government of operating on an alleged “autopilot” and ignoring the suffering and insecurity engulfing the country.
Delivering an opening remark at the Second Meeting of the First Session of the Ninth Parliament, on the floor of Parliament on Tuesday, the Deputy Minority Leader highlighted several pressing issues, including the alleged erosion of judicial independence, abuse of state power and economic mismanagement.
“Mr Speaker, we gather here today not only to reconvene a legislative session, but to recommit to the solemn duty imposed upon us by the Constitution—to serve the people of Ghana with honour, vigilance and integrity.
“The audacious attempts by the Presidency to undermine judicial independence have reached dangerous proportions. Ghana’s economy is gasping, statutory funds such as the District Assemblies Common Fund have been starved, crippling essential services, dumsor is back. And it has returned with a viciousness that reminds Ghanaians of our darkest power crises,” she said.
Madam Appiagyei added that “The time for caution has passed. The hour of constitutional vigilance is now.”
The Deputy Leader also expressed concern over the President’s efforts to remove the Chief Justice and allegedly pack the Supreme Court with loyalists.
“Mr Speaker, I condemn national security operatives for raiding homes of former appointees, MPs and ordinary citizens with impunity,” she said.
Madam Appiagyei, also the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Member of Parliament (MP) for Asokwa, highlighted the country’s alleged struggling economy, citing unpaid debts, abandoned infrastructure projects and high prices, adding that the resurgence of power outages was collapsing businesses.
She demanded transparency and accountability in government, particularly regarding the Mahama Cares Initiative and presidential travel.
“Mr Speaker, the Minister for Foreign Affairs will be summoned to provide a full account of the decision to close Ghana’s Embassy in Washington, D.C., there will be an immediate and sustained action to address the humanitarian crisis along the coastline, declaration of a state of emergency to tackle illegal mining, transparency and accountability in government initiatives and expenditures,” Madam Appiagyei noted.
