Political analyst Alex Nti has opined that the decision by Speaker Alban Bagbin to declare some parliamentary seats vacant due to the absenteeism of some Members of Parliament (MPs) warrants a measure of caution.
He stated that some of the absent MPs are Cabinet Ministers whose official governmental duties will inevitably affect their attendance in Parliament.
It is for this reason that Mr. Nti is urging the Speaker to address the issue in a manner that will not unfairly prejudice the Ministers involved.
The Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, this week issued a warning to Members of Parliament to attend sittings regularly or risk having their seats declared vacant.
The Constitution provides that MPs who absent themselves for 15 cumulative sitting days without permission from the Speaker shall vacate their seats.
Speaking at the start of proceedings on Wednesday, October 29, the Speaker indicated he would strictly enforce the constitutional provisions on absenteeism during the current meeting of the House.
Reacting to this development on Nyankonton Mu Nsem on Rainbow Radio 87.5FM, Alex Nti argued:
“The Speaker of Parliament is not being entirely fair to some of the MPs. When you examine our laws, you will recognize that the Constitution mandates the President to appoint the majority of Ministers from Parliament. This inherently means that when an MP is appointed a Minister, their attendance in Parliament will be impacted, leading to unavoidable absences. I was therefore expecting the Speaker to have separated such MPs from the list and deal primarily with those who hold no ministerial positions yet refuse to attend Parliament.”
He stated that the unwarranted refusal of non-Ministerial MPs to attend sittings will affect the quality of legislative work and potentially deprive Ghanaians of fair representation, especially when crucial issues are being deliberated.
“However, those who have ministerial appointments should be accorded some concession temporarily due to the demanding nature of their executive roles,” he added.
Alex Nti reiterated the long-standing need for a constitutional review of the provisions that require the President to appoint the majority of Ministers from Parliament, stating:
“Some of us have long argued that there is a compelling need to review our Constitution and remove the provision that requires MPs to serve as Ministers. We must allow MPs to concentrate solely on their legislative work, thereby enabling the President to appoint Ministers from outside Parliament.”
By: Rainbowradioonline.com/Ghana
