Minority: We Won’t Be Cowed By Judicial Abuse
The Minority in Parliament has promised to carry on with their oversight role despite what they describe as “judicial abuse, tyranny and fascist tactics” against the Member of Parliament for North Tongu Constituency, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa.
According to the NDC MPs, they will not be intimidated and cowed by such weapons.
This was contained in a statement from Minority leader Cassiel Ato Forson and in reaction to suits against Ablakwa by Rev Victor Kusi Boateng, a member on the Board of Trustees of the National Cathedral.
According to him, the judicial actions against the legislator is an “abuse of the judiciary by certain undemocratic elements seeking to gag NDC Members of Parliament and prevent us from carrying out our constitutional mandate of oversight.”
The statement from Cassiel expressed surprise at the judiciary’s decision to grant an exparte injunction in the matter.
Additionally, it raised concerns about the mode in which the legislator was “ambushed” with the court document.
“The NDC Caucus in Parliament also condemns in the strongest terms the crude disregard for the appropriate procedure of how Members of Parliament are to be served with court documents through the Right Honourable Speaker of Parliament. Multiple Speakers of Parliament across the political divide have emphasized this in many constitutionally sound rulings.
“Ambushing an MP with a secret video recording on the premises of a television station after an interview by people ironically claiming to be apostles of the protection of privacy as happened to our distinguished colleague, Hon. Okudzeto Ablakwa on the precincts of Metro TV on the 3rd of February, 2023 can only be the orchestration of a frustrated and lawless cabal.”
Background
On February 3, 2023, Ablakwa was served with a court document announcing a suit against him by Rev Kusi Boateng toggether with a temporal restraining order from making further public disclosures of private information, document, correspondence, communication, and property belonging to the pastor.
It turned out that the legislator was served at the premises of Metro TV after a TV show.
A video that circulated recently showed the moment he was being served.
He appeared to have refused to take the document in the video and kick it away from his car in the video.
Following this, Rev Kusi Boateng filed a contempt application at the High Cout demading the imprisonment of the lawmaker.
“That I am informed bvy my Cousel and verily believe same to nbe that this Honourable Court has the power to commit the respondent to prison for his conduct to protect the whole administration of justice and serve as deterent to other persons.”
Ablakwa’s Reaction
In a Facebook post, Ablakwa said imprisonment cannot be used to silence him.
“Let the cowardly forces of tyranny be told that I am not one to be frightened with imprisonment.
“I am ever ready to be a political prisoner of conscience than to be coerced and compromised into a behind the scenes deal with the corrosive enemies of the Republic.”
He finds hope in the fact that “Nkrumah, Rawlings, Mandela, Kenyatta, Sisulu, Motlanthe, Desmond Tutu, Mohandas Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jnr., Thomas Mapfumo, Andrei Sakharov, Antonia Gramsci and Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva have all taught us to overcome the fear of prison and be constantly of the indomitable belief that Truth and Justice cannot be imprisoned.”
Source: opemsuo.com/Hajara Fuseini
