Member of Parliament for North Tongu and former Deputy Education Minister Okudzeto Ablakwa has said that the Police will be in contempt of Parliament should they try to arrest and molest any Member of Parliament from the Minority.
His comment comes on the back of the Police’s claims of deploying 6,000 Security personalities in the nation’s capital especially at the Parliament House for the country’s inauguration.
To him, the people of Ghana did not vote for cowards and therefore they will stand up to fight for their rights if the police will stoop low to be used for someone’s political desires.
“The people of Ghana including my beloved constituents of North Tongu did not vote for cowards. We refuse to be intimidated and we are determined to stand up against this affront to the dignity of Parliament and the good people we represent.”
READ HIS FULL Write Up Here
What really is the essence of the needless, excessive, gestapo and despotic security deployment to Parliament House when our Standing Orders are clear in Order 30 as quoted below:
“The following acts or conduct shall constitute a breach of privilege or contempt of Parliament -I) causing or effecting the arrest of a Member or officer of Parliament during the proceedings of Parliament or in the course of his duties;
J) molestation of Members or officers in connection with the performance of their duties in or out of Parliament;
L) attempted intimidation by threats of Members in the conduct of their duties.”Parliament as the bastion of democratic freedoms must at all times reflect what is beautiful about representative democracy devoid of ugly intimidation by threat of force which is the hallmark of tyrants and dictators.Let those few service commanders impetuously pursuing misguided instructions be informed that per the Standing Orders of Parliament they are in contempt of Parliament and shall be in even more trouble if they attempt to arrest or molest any Member of Parliament as we carry out our legitimate constitutional duties.
The people of Ghana including my beloved constituents of North Tongu did not vote for cowards. We refuse to be intimidated and we are determined to stand up against this affront to the dignity of Parliament and the good people we represent.That said, let us all be mindful of the erosion of our hitherto sterling democratic credentials and the terrible precedents being set today.True democrats seek refuge in the legitimacy offered by the masses and not in the deceptive protection offered by guns and armoured vehicles.
