Parliament has been summoned to consider government business beginning September 3, 2024, the Speaker of Parliament, Mr Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin, has announced.
The meeting place and location is yet to be communicated because the Chamber is currently under renovation works, according to a statement issued and copied the Ghanaian Times on Thursday, from the Office of the Speaker of Parliament.
On July 31, 2024, the office of the Speaker received a request for a recall of Parliament to a parliamentary Meeting, pursuant to Article 112 (3) of the 1992 Constitution and Order 53 of the Standing Orders of Parliament.
The request was submitted by members of the Majority side, led by Mr Alexander Kwamena Afenyo-Markin, the Majority Leader and Member of Parliament for Effutu Constituency.
But in reaching a decision to recall the House, Mr Bagbin observed that the basis for making the request by the Majority side of the House did not meet the constitutional threshold under Article 112 of the Constitution, 1992.
He said “A careful review of the matters outlined in the request reveals that they do not meet the threshold set by Article 112. Most of the issues, including the $250 million IDA financing agreement, were already tabled before the House prior to the adjournment on July 30, 2024.”
The Speaker of Parliament, who was the former Member of Parliament for Nadowli-Kaleo Constituency, said the fact that these matters were already under consideration by Parliament and, in the case of the IDA Financing Agreement, were even subjected to debate and rejected, undermines the essence of the request for a recall.
He said several of the bills listed on the request were bills that were still under consideration at Committee.
Mr Bagbin, said the official reports of July 30, show the unwillingness of even members of the Majority side to transact the same business.
“The above notwithstanding, given the constitutional requirement, the Speaker is obliged to summon Parliament within seven days of receiving the request, which means by the end of August 7, 2024 given that the request was received by the office of the Speaker on the 31st of July,” the Speaker added.
Touching on compliance with the recall provision, Mr Bagbin, who is a constitutional lawyer said a literal understanding of Article 112 (3) and Order 53, without consideration for the context and purpose behind these provisions, could lead to an absurd situation where Parliament is kept in perpetual meetings. Such a scenario would undermine the very essence of parliamentary democracy, i.e. to serve the people.
Moreover, he holds that “this literal understanding could be weaponised by factions within Parliament to serve partisan interests, rather than the national interest. By constantly invoking these provisions for partisan considerations, Parliament could be drawn into a state of perpetual sitting, at unnecessary cost to the nation and effectively preventing MPs from attending to their constituencies and other vital responsibilities, especially in an election year when advocacy of MPs is crucial.”
MALIK SULLEMANA
