Gyakye Quayson's predicament: Blame it on NDC's parachial partisan choices

Following the Supreme Court's ruling that Mr Gyakye Quayson's name should be expunged from Parliament, the Attorney General Department has decided to charge him with purjery and forgery.

This has attracted mixed reactions with rational Ghanaians empathesing with Mr Quayson and virtually pleading with the Minister for Justice and Attorney General, Mr Godfred Yeboah Dame, to temper justice with mercy. There are others also, mostly from the National Democratic Congress (NDC) fraternity, who are lambasting Mr Dame for his decision. Typical example is the Member of Parliament for North Tongu, Mr Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwah, who is reported to have said that the government should rather prosecute the killers of the nine people who lost their lives through gun shots during the 2020 general elections.

With all due respect to Mr Ablakwah who has recently been making noise as if he knows it all, I think his reaction to this issue is borne out of inxeperience and is most likely to exacerbate the case of the humane looking Gyakye Quayson. Without mincing words, I will directly appeal to Mr Ablakwah to shut up and allow more experienced NDC gurus, like Speaker Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin and the Member of Parliament for Tamale South, Mr Haruna Iddrisu, to handle this issue.

From where I sit, I think the NDC can best handle this issue by letting their wise, revered senior members to lobby the government to drop the criminal side of the case against the harmless Quayson, who has already suffered enough shocks. This is not the time for sharp teethed babies to make noise. Mr Ablakwah should understand that the law is not a respeçter of inexperienced, noise-making politicians who think life is all about winning a safe parliamentary seat for three consecutive times.

That said, I must also hold the parliamentary caucus of the NDC responsible for the predicament of the Mr Quayson. If the NDC law makers did not put their parochial partisan interest over the laws of the country, we wouldn't have gotten to this point.

It is recalled that the Member of Parliament for Effutu, Hon Alexander Kwamena Afenyo-Markin, raised this issue on the floor of Parliament on 6th January, 2021 when the house sat to elect their next Speaker. The Effutu law maker drew the attention of the Clark of Parliament who was moderating the affairs of the house to the effect that Mr Quayson was not qualified to participate in their proceedings, citing a ruling of a high court that had disqualified the Assin North MP.

The Clark saw the wisdom in Mr Afenyo-Markin's position and decided to draw the attention of the house to it. Unfortunately, however, the NDC MPs would not hear any of that as they prevented the moderator with deafening noise. Finally a decision was taken that Mr Quayson could participate in the proceedings but at his own risk of being held liable for contempt of court. The NDC MPs welcomed this decision without a second thought and here we are today.

It will therefore be dangerous for MPs like Mr Ablakwah to start throwing their weight about and be provoking the Attorney General to continue with his decision of prosecuting Mr Quayson. For whatever reason, the man has won the sympathy of Ghanaians so people like Mr Ablakwah should not be his devil to cause his prosecution and subsequent conviction.

With my knees on the ground, I will also use this medium to plead with President Akufo-Addo and his Minister for Justice to temper justice with mercy. We know the decision of Mr Gyakye Quayson to participate in parliamentary proceedings on 6th January 2021 has cost the NPP government so much but his conviction is not a solution to our problems as a nation.

I will also appeal to the experienced and revered NDC gurus to shut up Mr Ablakwah and lobby the government to padon Mr Quayson.

The author is an essayist and a social commentator.

By Bala Ali