This is an election year. Thus everything we do as a people, politics would be the priority. We eat, drink and sleep with politics with very little regard for the national cause.
That is why when Speaker ASK Bagbin sits in conclave or is it plenary, the House which is guided by records and rules, is reduced into a political rally ground.
Up to today, nobody has in the leadership of Parliament explained to us why last Tuesday, the President of the Republic, Head of State and Commander-in-Chief of the Ghana Armed Forces, President Akufo-Addo arrived at the House to an empty Minority side.
In a media rich country, the Speaker and his Team do not want to kill the rumours about why the Minority side of the Chamber was empty, even when the Speaker was escorted to his seat.
By the protocol arrangement, all MPs must be seated before the President is ushered in.
Last Tuesday, Ghanaians witnessed a sad spectacle when the Minority MPs were rushing to take their seats when the President was being escorted to the Chamber.
We are always worried when MPs who are supposed to be role models do not respect the time-tested dictum that, “example is better than precept”. This is where we appeal to the Speaker to shed his political colours and steer affairs of the House for the national good.
Mr. Speaker, we think your extreme attachment to the NDC would not help you to leave a lasting legacy for Ghanaians by ensuring that MPs respect their own Standing Orders.
The Umpire, Referee or Moderator must not take sides but lead the House to deepen unity in diversity.
Politics is to be harnessed for the national good, and we all have a duty to expose the bad lots among the political class.
The only way to advance our cause in the highly competitive political environment and still derive the democratic dividend is to behave like the proverbial cockerels who engage in fierce battle but making sure they don’t harm their eyes.
We know 2024 is an election year during which the duopoly of NDC and NPP would work hard to safeguard their legacies. In doing so, however, we counsel all the stakeholders to remember that although democracy is a number game, it has rules.
It is not a “game” played with a mixture of truth and lies. Only the truth can convince the electorate to vote for a particular candidate, because lies would expose candidates who lack knowledge about our challenges and opportunities.