Dr. Amakye: Indefinite Adjournment Is The Path To Resolution

According to Dr Kwesi Amakye Boateng, a political scientist with KNUST, in an interview with GHOne TV's breakfast show host, Lantam Papanko, he thinks it is about time parliament adjourned indefinitely. This follows the Speaker of Parliament announcing that, until further notice, parliamentary proceedings have been adjourned. For weeks now, there have been heated exchanges between the NPP and the NDC, each side claiming to have the majority in parliament.

This indefinite adjournment, according to Dr. Amakye, gives lawmakers an opportunity to actually take the time seriously and try to put internal wrangling aside. He clarified that the decision affords parliamentarians time to step out of the limelight and engage in critical discussions that may culminate in more contemplative and constructive output.

"The current position taken is to give them time and space outside the sight of the public, so they can agree to disagree in whatever fashion, but eventually they will come back with resolutions," he said. Dr. Amakye further stressed that what was needed was a useful engagement between the Speaker's office and the judiciary and indicated that the meeting with the Supreme Court could hold the key to resolving the current tension.

The decision by Speaker Bagbin to adjourn was after receiving communication from the Supreme Court, which instructed him to stay an earlier ruling by the Speaker declaring four parliamentary seats vacant. This intervention underscores the crucial role of the judiciary in the unfolding political situation.

Dr. Amakye added that political parties should respect their internal rules and constitutions because respect for democratic processes forms the beginning of any effort towards an effective resolution of disputes. He believed the indefinite adjournment was one way to get the resolution going.