Dan Botwe Replies Gabby: Minority MPs Not Dormant...We've Been More Than Equal To The Task

The Member of Parliament for Okere Constituency, Hon. Daniel Kweku Botwe has dismissed assertions by Gabby Otchere Darko, immediate-past Executive Director of the Danquah Institute (DI) that Minority NPP Members of Parliament are silence over happenings in the country. Gabby Otchere Darko is reported to have alleged on Oman Fm�s Evening program �Boiling Point� that the Minority NPP MPs have ceded their responsibility to check the ruling government to civil society groups. He claims civil society groups are now more active in holding government accountable than the New Patriotic Party [NPP]. According to him, the NPP's dormancy, has also affected the Minority in Parliament, accusing them (MPs) of not being critical enough of the government�s decisions and policies. He also wondered why the Minority MPs have not responded to the issues pertaining to the tier two pension funds management, thus sitting aloof over the GNPC $700 million loan without Parliamentary approval. But in what can be described as a direct rebuttal, the former Chief Scribe of the opposition party, Hon. Dan Botwe pointed out that Minority MPs have been equal to the task of putting the ruling NDC government on its toes as they have organized several press conferences and demonstrations to declare their stance on many issues which were even tabled before the House. �There is no single issue we have not done thorough press conferences to declare our stance; we have boycotted issues on the floor of Parliament�..was it not the same Minority NPP MPs that showed the late President Mills the red cards when he came to Parliament? Any gimmicks, demonstrations, we have been doing them; there is no demonstration in town that the major input is not coming from the Minority MPs- ask those who organize those demonstrations�. �Beyond that, this party [NPP] is being oiled; this party is being maintained because of the contributions of the Minority MPs. Every month �300 million Old Cedis is sent to the party�..In the last EC registration, every NPP MP spent almost GH�10, 000 for the agents to stay for 10 days; in our congress, MPs spent almost Gh�8, 000 Cedis��It is the Minority MPs who have been more vocal on the Pension Fund Issues�, he revealed on Oman Fm�s Morning Show. Hon. Dan Kweku Botwe further revealed that the Minority MPs have been aware of every bill passed in Parliament, debunking the assertion that the Minority didn�t know the content of some of the bills when the House was recalled from recess. �We have to be truthful, the Minority has been aware of bills passed in Parliament; it is not true that the Minority didn�t know the content of the bills before they were passed��we can never look in the face of God and lie; it is not the first time MPs have sat in Parliament for loans to be passed��it happened when NPP was in power; why are we making it look as if it is only happening for the first time�, he fumed. The Minority Chief Whip of Parliament asserted that he foresees a media agenda by some party faithfuls to deliberately put the Minority MPs in bad light for the grassroots to hate them; but pointed out that setting the emotions of the people against the NPP MPs will have dire consequences for the party.