Attacks on Speaker by MPs weakening Parliament – ACEPA
The African Center for Parliamentary Affairs (ACEPA) has described as unhealthy developments between the Executive and Legislature.
It said the 8th Parliament must work with a united front for a strong Legislature that would be feared by the Executive.
“Rather, we have a situation where Majority in Parliament are doing whatever they can to defend the Executive and in that process, it is only the Legislature that becomes weak,” the Centre noted.
The Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, has expressed worry over budgetary allocation to Parliament by the Executive because for the second time, Parliament’s budget was cut and allocation to Parliament was done without any direct consultation with the leadership of the House.
Commenting on the issue, Dr Rashid Draman, the Executive Director for ACEPA, underscored the importance of Parliament in the arrangement and discourse in democratic dispensation however, did not blame the Executive, rather blamed Parliament.
According to him, Parliament had brought the situation on itself since there had been efforts to create a lot of division within Parliament and bemoaned efforts in the last couple of months where Members of Parliament (MPs) disregarded or challenged decisions of Mr Bagbin, which created an image of disunity within the Legislature with both the Majority and Minority of Parliament involved.
Mr Bagbin had indicated that Parliament could make a move to remove the president from office because the law gave the House powers to remove a president but does not give the same powers to a president to be able to remove a Speaker of Parliament.
He raised concerns about Parliament approving budgets that benefitted the Executive more than the Legislature and the Judiciary, adding that this year, all laws benefitted the Executive and even forget about Parliament.
Mr Bagbin decried that it was self-inflicted, not deficiency in the 1992 Constitution but deficiency in Parliament which must be corrected and maintained that the 8th Parliament was properly positioned not to allow itself to be bullied into playing second fiddle to the Executive. –starrfm.com.gh
