Alban Bagbin, dignitaries, UGPH in a group photograph
Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin has highlighted some key challenges that hinder the implementation of Private Members’ Bills in the quest to maintain democracy.
Speaking at a public forum at the University of Ghana, Mr. Bagbin indicated that such bills allow individual MPs to represent the interests of their constituents and bring forward issues that may not be prioritised by the government.
“The implementation of the Private Members’ Bill which enhances democratic participation by allowing MPs to engage with their constituents and stakeholders in the policymaking process has been challenged by the absence of civil society vigilance,” he said.
The Speaker was of the view that the presence of CSO vigilantes is essential for ensuring that Private Member’s Bills are implemented effectively, efficiently, and in a way that serves the public interest.
He emphasised that the absence of CSO vigilantes may undermine the credibility of policy processes, as their involvement is often seen as a key indicator of transparency and accountability.
“The financial constraints, is not easy to pass a private members bill, calling stakeholders consultation involves a lot of money, organising workshops, providing location, food, transportation and this is usually done by the areas that are affected by law but unfortunately lobbies have not yet been developed in Ghana where people can come with this propose legislation with some resources to get the MPs and educate them on the topic and be able to convince them to take it up,” he said.
He added that the country has not created enough space for CSOs to develop, “many of the CSOs we have in the country are funded by outside, we are not funding, but rather supporting them. But we need the Civil Society to act as the check and intervene to solve a problem which is another challenge we face in trying to process Privates Members’ Bill”.
The public forum, themed, “ Four Years of Private Members Bills Regime In Ghana: The Experience, Lessons And Ways Forward” witnesses a panel session with Francis Xavier Sosu MP for Madina, Alfred Atuah-Yeboah, Deputy Attorney-General and Deputy Minister of Justice, and Dr. Maame Adwoa Gyekye-Jandoh, Senior Lecturer, Political Science Department.
The forum was organised by the Parliamentary Network Africa (PN Africa) in commemoration of the University of Ghana Parliament House (UGPH) 20th anniversary.
BY Prince Fiifi Yorke