The Member of Parliament for Abuakwa South in the Eastern Region, Samuel Atta Akyea, has voiced strong opposition to the idea that MPs should be forced to resign for expressing future political ambitions.
He believes that treating MPs as “robots” who cannot reconsider their political trajectories is inappropriate, as reported by myjoyonline.com.
During an interview on PM Express on Joy News on October 15, 2024, Atta Akyea addressed the recent discussions in Parliament regarding MPs announcing their intentions to run as independent candidates in the upcoming 2024 parliamentary elections. He argued that such declarations should not be interpreted as a disloyalty to their political parties.
Atta Akyea emphasized that Members of Parliament should have the right to express their future plans without jeopardizing their current roles.
He referenced the announcement made by the Second Deputy Speaker, stating,“The issue here is that these MPs are addressing their future intentions. They’ve not said that as of now they want to abandon where they are for any other direction. Should it affect my current status if I declare my intentions for the future? I’ve not said now I’m crossing to another party.”
Atta Akyea firmly rejected the notion that future aspirations should lead to immediate consequences like the removal of MPs from their positions. He argued that doing so would reduce Members of Parliament to mere puppets unable to think or change their minds.
“What we are saying now is that they are not crossing the carpet yet. They are not saying that in this Parliament, they were sponsored by the NPP or came in as independents and now want to go to another party or stand as independents,” he stated.
He further explained that intentions can evolve over time, and it is unreasonable to judge MPs based on potential future actions.