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Two MPs in
tussle over party colours
Masahudu Ankiilu Kunateh, Ghanadot
Accra, March 9, Ghanadot - The splendor of the 52nd
independence anniversary parade held on Friday 6 March 2009
at Kwabenya in the Ga East Municipal was slightly marred
when Professor Mike Oquaye, the Second Deputy Speaker of
Parliament and New Patriotic Party (NPP) Member of
Parliament (MP) for Dome-Kwabenya in the Greater Accra
Region who was one of the dignitaries assisting the
Coordinating Director to take the salute, withdrew and went
to sit down upon sighting a group of women clad in National
Democratic Congress (NDC) T-shirts marching towards the
dais.
The other dignitaries were the NDC Member of Parliament (MP)
for Abokobi-Madina, Alhaji Ahmadu Sorogho, and the Municipal
Director of Education, Mrs Emma Baaba Quarcoo.
This led to a heated argument between Alhaji Sorogho and
Professor Oquaye, Second Deputy Speaker of Parliament and MP
for Dome-Kwabenya.
The women wore NDC T-shirts with the inscription, "Women in
Action," of whom Ghanadot learned that they were from Madina.
Professor Oquaye, argued vehemently that the independence
Day celebration was a national programme and it was wrong
for a group of people to attend in party colours.
He explained that the anniversary was an avenue to build
national unity and not time to show party colours.
When asked by some journalists why he did not wait till
later when he could then, have drawn the attention of his
colleagues to the incident, he replied, "this is what we do
and we never progress." "If something is wrong, you have to
correct it. I didn't want to be associated with something
which is wrong," Prof. Oquaye said and added: "if you do
that, people will criticize you."
For Prof Oquaye, "what is wrong is wrong."
Responding to the action of Prof Oquaye, Alhaji Sorogho said
it was wrong for the Second Deputy Speaker to put up such a
behaviour.
He said the event was a national programme and each citizen
had the right to participate and decide what attire to wear.
He pointed out that it would also have been wrong to prevent
any group of people from participating merely because they
were in a party T-shirt.
"I don't want us to start this way. We were all here and saw
what NPP did during the Golden Jubilee celebration with
their party colours flying all over the country during the
celebration," he stated.
In all, 35 contingents took part in the celebration from
seven senior high schools, 20 junior high schools and seven
Basic Schools in the area.
The Ghana Atomic Energy Senior High School, Pan tang
Hospital Junior High School and Abokobi Presby Basic School
respectively emerged winners in the march past competition
and were given certificates.
Ghanadot
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