We don’t seek to obstruct government business –Muntaka

The Minority Chief Whip, Muntaka Mubarak, says his caucus does not seek to obstruct or frustrate government’s business by some of its insistence in Parliament.

According to him, the caucus is doing its best to ensure that no parliamentary or constitutional process is side-stepped.

Speaking on Eyewitness News, Muntaka said the Minority is committed to help in effective governance of the country.

“It is not our intension or objective to crush government program. All we want is that everything that is done in the House follows procedure. Don’t expect that we are going to sit and say because you need the money, we will gloss over our responsibility, so you do as you please. We will do what is right so long as it is within the remits of the law. We don’t seek to obstruct government business,” he said.

The Asantehene, Otumfuo Nana Osei Tutu II, over the weekend advised legislators not to use their entrenched positions to frustrate the government from performing its legitimate duties.

According to him, lawmakers are only representatives of the people, and it was not their duty to determine policies for the government.

“We elect people to represent us to make sure there is some equilibrium in what governments do. It is to our good that our representatives in Parliament subject the national budget to the most rigorous scrutiny and to call for changes.”

“Government must also have the humility to acknowledge and embrace the useful inputs from all sources, but our representatives need to bear in mind that it is not their role to either determine policy or to frustrate the executive from performing their legitimate duties.”

But Muntaka Mubarak said contrary to the belief that the Minority has taken an entrenched position, it is actively participating in the business of Parliament and only taking a stance against actions that are contrary to parliamentary procedures.

“When you go to all the committees [in Parliament], you see us actively participating in the budget estimates. We are insisting on doing what we are doing just to hold the sanctity of our processes. There is not a single committee sitting that we in the Minority have absented ourselves. We are participating actively to make sure that the right thing is done, the government is held to check, accountability is right, transparency is ensured,” he said.