PARLIAMENT IS WEAK AND MALFUNCTIONING - ASK BAGBIN.
This may sound absurd,but it is the reality. The reality is what we are battling with today in the case of the defunct Ken Ofori-Atta versus his uncle, H.E Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.
The Right Hon. Speaker is right that Parliament is weak and malfunctioning as a result of the excessive powers that have been given to the executive Arm of government by the Constitution of the Republic of Ghana.
Clear examples of the president's extensive Financial and Appointment perogative and the Whipping system in our Parliament have not helped the course of democracy, accountability, and protection of the rights of the citizenry. Party Discipline and the courage to petition the president to act in the interest of citizenry by his own men has even been masked by that excessive perogative of the president.
This is clearly a chronic cancer of the Constitution that needs to be looked at again.
The 1992 constitution of Ghana gives the Executive President of Ghana enormous and extensive powers of appointment. This over the years has led to the manifestations of the Winner-Takes-All(WTA) politics. As a result, Executive Presidents of Ghana have exercised their powers of appointment to the benefit of only party apparatchiks and loyalists without recourse to appointment based on apolitical or non-partisan meritocracy. In this regard, many Ghanaians,irrespective of their competence, experience and expertise, are denied the opportunity to serve their country simply because they do not belong to the ruling party.
The argument that, the 1992 constitution of Ghana gives the Executive President so much power in appointing state officials, which promotes WTA politics and deepens clientelism eventually leads to the inability of the same to sack or disappoint, a case of the president versus his cousin Ken Ofori-Atta.
Until the status quo is changed(Excessive powers, Whipping system vis-a-vis party Discipline), we can never make Parliament play its constitutional role of checking the executive Arm of government and for that matter the president.
Let me use the recent case of the eighty MPs from the majority side who tested the law of checking the executive Arm of government demanding that the Finance Minister be sacked over incompetence, conflict of interest, non payment of statutory funds among others to augment concerns.
Within 24 hours they were whipped by the perogative powers of the president which has reared its ugly head into party politics and discipline to rescind what they claimed their constituents told them without going back to consult the same constituents.
Why the surrender?
All because they were overcomeed by intimidation and fear of loosing their positions and parliamentary primaries ahead of them.
Do we have to blame them?
No! Because the President is powerful and has the financial muscles to do anything.
The Right Hon. Speaker is right is quoting the biblical provisions in the constitution of Ghana but in practice it doesn't work as it is supposed to work.
Can the paradigm be changed?
Yes, it can!
1. If the powers granted the President by the constitution are reviewed
2. If Public financial Administration in Ghana is also reviewed to give the Parliament of Ghana the required financial strength and powers to be financially independent to carry its constitutional functions of checking the Executive Arm of Government.
3. By reconsidering the 2% budgetary allocation of the financial year budget to Parliament, which sometimes even don't flow as expected.
Parliament can be up to task if these inhibitors are taking into consideration and amended.
Yes, it is possible we can.
Source: HON. ERIC AFFUL
MP, AMENFI WEST.
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