A Financial analyst and a social commentator, Sydney Casley Hayford, has chided Members of Parliament for what he calls a “childish conduct” \u00a0they exhibited during President John Mahama\u2019s delivery of the State of the Nation address.<\/p>\n
Parliamentarians from both sides of the chamber chanted songs of cheer and mockery at the President, as he brought his address to an end.<\/p>\n
At a point, the Speaker\u2019s call for order fell on deaf ears as the shouting preceded the limit. Many have condemned the conduct of the MPs on live television, describing it as unruly and not exemplary enough particularly to the youth in the chamber who see them as role models, and to members of the diplomatic corps.<\/p>\n
Speaking on Citi FM’s<\/strong> news analysis programme, ‘The Big Issue’<\/strong>, Mr. Hayford\u00a0blamed the President for the behaviour of the MPs since according to him, he virtually turned the delivery into\u00a0a jesting exercise.<\/p>\n [contextly_sidebar id=”b05LwLNyyShd42q9hc2A7uRWsJEQQdpE”]\u201cWe have been doing this year after year. It is so childish and infantile. We are trying to address problems and we are at a point now where in terms of development, there is a little confusion. The NDC is saying we have done all of these things, the NPP is saying you have not done anything. \u2026\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI think that the President\u2019s delivery in so many ways encouraged this infantile behaviour because he himself in so many places turned this whole thing into a bit of a joke and kept on middling certain persons and treating Parliamentarians like they were school children. And of course, when you do that they would like to give it back to you. When he opened up and talked about J.B Danquah\u2019s death, he was serious, but gradually as time went on, it deteriorated and I think that Parliament has to really get itself together and accept that, it is not only things that are to their benefit that should be taken seriously.\u201d<\/p>\n At least we didn\u2019t fight \u2013MP<\/strong><\/p>\n But the Member of Parliament for Tamale Central, who doubles as the\u00a0Minister for Roads and Highways, Inusah Fuseini, who was speaking on the same platform\u00a0said he finds nothing wrong with the much-criticized conduct of MPs\u00a0during the address, adding that\u00a0it was not an abnormal practice in Parliaments globally.<\/p>\n In his view, other MPs\u00a0globally, have done worst things such as throwing eggs at\u00a0public officials, and in some cases exchanging blows.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat happened in Parliament was not infantile at all. It\u2019s part of parliamentary practice. In some Parliaments they beat each other. They get up and blow each other and return to the seat. In some Parliaments, they throw eggs at their Presidents or Prime Ministers. We have not gotten there and I don\u2019t think we will get there,\u201c said the Minister. He was however quick to add that, Parliament has \u201cbeen working to reduce the tempo and the occurrence and bring some sanity into how MPs heckle the President.\u201d<\/p>\n –<\/p>\n By: Marian Ansah\/citifmonline.com\/Ghana
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