SoNA 2021: Kwesi Pratt Refers calls Minority Caucus Toothless; Akufo-Addo’s Confident Delivery

Your usual Metro TV’s Good Morning Ghana show was met with a shocking statement from Kwasi Pratt, managing editor of the Insight Newspaper, on March 10, 2021 edition; he is quoted to have said,

“The president was very comfortable, very confident. In fact, one of the things he (president) exhibited yesterday was remarkable confidence, remarkable confidence. Confidence which could only have been borne out of the realization that there is an opposition which has no teeth. Look at how he spoke to parliament yesterday, so confident, in fact, more than confident, exuberant”.

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Pratt’s submission is an indirect attack on his NDC friends in parliament for not doing much to tame their opponents irrespective of their numbers. He feels a split in parliament should possibly intimidate the president in his delivery during the State of the Nation Address. In fact, he gave credit to the president for his confidence and the self assurance that he could tame the minority.

“He knew that he was dealing with an opposition that had no teeth. He knew that he was dealing with an opposition that he could tame anytime he wanted to tame,” he stressed.

Member of Parliament for Nhyiaeso, Steve Amoah, a Co-panelist although in support of Pratt’s motion on the presidents posture, expressed his displeasure with branding the Minority Caucus as toothless. He commended the minority for their hard work and commitment to their legislative responsibilities. He also dismissed claims that the Haruna Iddrisu-led bloc had been unduly influenced during the recent vote on three ministerial appointees.

“How can people say the minority group was weak and they took money from us, how can people say that?” Amoah quizzed.

The minority led by Haruna Iddrisu has criticized the address as lacking in key areas such as Ghana’s debt stock, the LGBTQ+ issue, and post-election violence incidents, yet did not indicate substantial issues in the speech.