EMEFA HARDCASTLE’S MOUTH WALKS NDC INTO FIRST CRISIS!

The elders have a saying which goes like this;
“Your beauty will earn you a marriage; your character will earn you a divorce.”
A few hard words, left unsaid, will leave feathers unruffled. It will also certainly avoid a parliamentary clash, and an
unnecessary crisis over the word ‘silly’ at a time a party fresh in power is trying to form a government.
Badly trumped and humiliated in December, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) was always going to be in a hunt to hang
one on the National Democratic Congress (NDC).
And Emefa Hardcastle’s lip offered the Minority (they hate the term ‘micro’) offered just such an opportunity two
days ago.
Now, the floor is set for a heated debate in parliament on whether Hardcastle attacked parliamentary immunity.
Yesterday, the Minority Caucus in Ghana's Parliament, suddenly discovering its wind, heavily condemned the
behaviour of Ms Victoria Emeafa Hardcastle, the Acting Chief Executive Officer of the Petroleum Commission,
towards the Leadership of Parliament.
In a statement signed by Mr Alexender Kwamena Afenyo-Markin, the Minority Leader and issued to the Ghana
News Agency described Ms Hardcastle's conduct as "reprehensible and contemptuous" and demanded decisive
action from the House.
According to the statement, Ms Hardcastle's attempt to direct the Minority Chief Whip, Mr Frank Annoh-Dompreh,
on the execution of his parliamentary duties, coupled with her description of a senior Member of Parliament (MPs)
as allegedly "silly", constituted an "egregious assault on parliamentary authority."
The Minority Leadership maintained that Ms Hardcastle's conduct represented an "intolerable breach of
parliamentary privilege and contempt of the House, demanding exemplary sanctions". The statement expected the
Speaker to apply appropriate sanctions, including fines, imprisonment, restriction from parliamentary precincts, and
mandatory public apology.
The Speaker of Parliament, Mr Alban S.K. Bagbin, has decided to personally hear representations from both parties
on Thursday, January 30, 2025, and report back to the House by Friday.
This move underscores the gravity of the matter, and the Minority Caucus anticipates that the Speaker's ruling will
send a strong message of deterrence to public officials and individuals who might contemplate similar contemptuous
conduct.
It said: "As Hon. Annor-Dompreh noted, I didn’t provoke her in any way, but suddenly, insults were hurled at me,
including being called ‘silly,’ ‘stupid,’ and ‘useless." He added that the incident was not just a personal attack but
also an assault on the dignity of Parliament.
The Minority Caucus has called on all stakeholders to note that this case will set a crucial precedent for future
interactions between public officials and Parliament.
It quoted the Minority Leader and New Patriotic Party MP for Efutu as saying "The dignity of Parliament is non-
negotiable, and those who choose to assault it must face commensurate consequences," it said.