Autocratic Akufo-Addo, Will Not Scare Us From Opposing E-Levy

…Minority on court injunction on Assin North MP

The Minority in Parliament has vowed to continue opposing the obnoxious Electronic Transfer Tax (E-Levy) that the Akufo-Addo government is seeking to ram down the throats of Ghanaians.

According to the National Democratic Congress (NDC) MPs, they remain determined in their opposition to the e-levy despite the government’s resort to using the reportedly tainted judiciary to reduce the numbers of Minority MPs in Parliament.

At a press conference in Accra Thursday, the Minority led by its leader, Haruna Iddrissu, said the injunction that the Supreme Court has granted against Assin North MP, James Gyakye Quayeson, is a shameful attempt to reduce the Minority MPs’ numbers but that that will not deter them.

“The caucus’ attention has just been drawn to some efforts and attempts by the Nana Akufo-Addo /Bawumia power-drunk autocratic regime resort to intimidation and ominous desperate act to get the obnoxious insensitive E-levy before parliament passed,” Haruna Iddrissu charged.

“Having failed in many respect to getting the loathed E-levy passed in the wake of popular national resistance led by the NDC gallant MPs of 137, the Nana Addo Dankwa government has now resorted to very crude and for all intents and purposes, democratically shameful, disgraceful tactics to attempt to reduce by all means possible necessary including foul, to reduce the numbers of NDC Minority of 137 hoping that that will aide their efforts to railroad their e-levy into law.”

The Minority consequently served notice to the Akufo-Addo/Bawumia government that its “gallant 137 members” will remain resolute against the e-Levy because it is regressive, punitive and will not advance the interest and welfare of the people.

“…The untruthful Alhaji Bawumia should not think that Ghanaians can be forever cowed by the imposition of an atmosphere of fear and high-handedness on the nation. Tyrants do not last forever. Ultimately the good people of Ghana will have the last laugh,” said the Minority.

The Akufo-Addo government on Tuesday secured an injunction at the Supreme Court against the NDC MP for Assin Central, James Gyakye Quayeson, from holding himself out as MP.

Critics have noted that the injunction which was granted by a Supreme Court bench full of judges appointed by Akufo-Addo, is aimed to reduce the number of the NDC MPs who have resolutely resisted the e-levy.

The Ghanaian parliament is currently a hung one with both the opposition NDC and the ruling NDC having the exact number of lawmakers apiece in the Chamber. This means, there is no clear majority and that a slight disruption on any of the sides put them at a disadvantage in terms of voting.

Knowing this, the Majority has tried to bend rules in parliament to approve the tax, including an alleged case of smuggling in an impostor to represent the Dome-Kwabenya MP. Sarah Adwoa Sarfo. But that failed to get the controversial tax passed.

It is amidst these failures that the Akufo-Addo government had resorted to using the other unconventional means to tilt the balance in Parliament.

First, the government went after former Deputy Minister of Finance and the Minority’s Ranking Member on the Finance Committee, Cassiel Ato Forson. He was arraigned before court for supposedly causing financial loss to the state in respect of the purchase of ambulances some five years ago.

Then, the government went to court to enforce a controversial ruling by a Cape Coast High Court that the Assin North MP cannot hold himself out as such because supposedly he run for MP while holding dual citizenship as both Ghanaians and Canadian.

But Hon. Haruna Iddrisu points out that that controversial judgment by the Cape Coast High Court is being appealed and therefore there was no need for any court to rule that he should cease from being an MP.

“This latest act of desperation which has the active endorsement of the Attorney General and Minister for Justice comes at a time an Appeal and an application for stay of execution filed against the Cape Coast High Court’s annulment of the 2020 Assin North Parliamentary election is still pending before the Court of Appeal,” the Minority Leader noted.