- "If you’re [Adwoa Safo] unable to perform your duty as a public officer due to circumstances beyond your control, you resign. Because the public office is not anyone's personal property."
The former MP for Kumbungu constituency, Ras Mubarak has asked the Dome-Kwabenya MP, Sarah Adwoa Safo to resign if she is incapacitated to serve her constituents as their MP.
Adwoa Safo has been under severe criticism for her continuous absence from Parliament with the Speaker of the House, Alban Bagbin denying media reports suggesting that he had granted her permission to absent herself.
She has subsequently been hauled to the privileges committee together with two other MPs.
However, the embattled MP maintains that she has been absent due to family issues beyond her control.
But, speaking to Asaase News, Mubarak said Adwoa Safo’s reasons are untenable and intolerable.
He said: “I’m lost for words, to be honest. This is the most incredulous thing I’ve ever heard. It’s ridiculous, actually and to hold onto one position and give the excuse of family exigent.”
“If you’re [Adwoa Safo] unable to perform your duty as a public officer due to circumstances beyond your control, you resign. Because the public office is not anyone’s personal property for them to hold unto it when they’re ready to resume. It’s completely intolerable,” Mubarak said.
Petition Parliament to remove Adwoa Safo
Mubarak further urged the constituents of Dome-Kwabenya to petition Parliament for the removal of Adwoa Safo.
“If I were her constituent, definitely I would have called for my fellow constituents to start a petition against her for her to resign. They could collectively start collecting signatures because there seems to be no integrity in public service, I’m in shock.
“Whatever the excuse, people are given leave of absence and based on the circumstances, whatever difficulty some decisions would have to be made at some point as to whether or not it is in the public’s best interest to continue paying somebody who’s unavailable to do the job as a Member of Parliament,” he said.
Privileges committee to fix a new date to meet Adwoa Safo
Meanwhile, Kweku Ricketts-Hagan, a ranking member of the Privileges Committee of Parliament has said the committee will in the coming days liaise with the MP for Dome-Kwabenya Sarah Adwoa Safo to fix a new date to hear her.
Adwoa Safo on Thursday told Accra-based Joy FM that she is yet to receive any official notification from the committee over her protracted absence from Parliament.
Talking to Kwaku Nhyira-Addo on The Asaase Breakfast Show on the development on Friday (27 May), Ricketts-Hagan said: “What happened yesterday after Henry Quartey’s appearance, is that the chairman also indicated to us that the NPP is having its regional executive election across the country, so they will not be available for today’s meeting because they are going to their constituencies to participate in the election.”
“And so therefore Adwoa Safo’s meeting today will be cancelled. So that was communicated to the clerk to reach her and cancel the meeting and discuss with her, her availability to fix a new date and inform the committee,” he said.
Nicholas Brown
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