Tensions Flare in Parliament After Mahama’s SONA as Majority, Minority Trade Symbols
Credit: Prince Adu-owusu
The Majority and Minority caucuses in Parliament briefly ‘clashed’ on the floor of the House on Friday, February 27, moments after President John Mahama concluded the delivery of his State of the Nation Address (SONA).
As soon as the President finished, the Majority side of the House, dressed largely in white and led by its leadership, rose to their feet, waving the national flags and chanting a slogan in Twi: “Ɔka ɔbɛyɛ, John Mahama, ɔka ɔbɛyɛ,” meaning “John Mahama delivers what he promises.”
The Minority side, however, quickly pushed back. Clad in black and led by their leaders, they also rose to their feet, holding cocoa and chanting in Twi: “Sɛ wobɔ mpae, kae cocoa,” translated as “When you kneel to pray for Ghana, remember the cocoa sector.”
The exchange escalated as chanting intensified across both sides of the House. Some MPs raised a photograph of the former Finance Minister, chanting, “We said he would run away, and it has happened,” while the Minority continued waving cocoa and singing in protest.
Order was eventually restored when the Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, intervened and called on both sides to desist, urging the House to allow parliamentary business to proceed.
