Speaker Alban Bagbin
The Speaker of Parliament, Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin, has stated that the January 2024 Standing Orders of Parliament offers an opportunity to address the evolving needs of Ghana’s dynamic and hybrid parliamentary democracy.
According to the Speaker, the processes and procedures in the House is challenged, with time and practice exposing the gaps and deficiencies in the November 2000 Standing Orders.
He further indicated that, the present composition of the House has brought those gaps and deficiencies into sharper focus, even though those deficiencies surfaced as far as the early 2001.
“We must start aligning the conduct of business in the House with the evolving and changing trends and requirements of our Parliament. We need to know how to apply and cope with the January 2024 Standing Orders which has replaced the 2000 Orders. These are some of the reasons we are here today.
“As we say in Africa, when the drummers alter their beats, the dancers must adjust their steps,” he added.
The Speaker made this statement in his opening address at the orientation workshop for Members of Parliament and Procedural Staff on the new Standing Orders in Ho, over the weekend.
He stated that, the attendant composition of the House has brought to the fore several challenges with the old Standing Orders.
These led to diverse interpretations of some procedures and practices, constant and acerbic verbal one-upmanship on the floor of the House, increased tensions, near fisticuffs, and eventually, including the pronouncement of the Supreme Court regarding the November 2000 Standing Orders.
The Deputy Majority Leader and MP for Effutu, Alexander Kwamina Afenyo-Markin, in his remarks on behalf of the Majority Leader indicated that, the only weapon for an MP is the rules book (Standing Orders) and cited himself as example that, when he entered the chamber in 2013 and found himself fumbling, the only saviour was the rules book.
He, therefore, advised his colleagues that, “the only way to survive and stand on your feet and make meaningful contributions on the floor of the chamber in the midst of all intimidation is to stand firm and indicate that you are within the rules.”
The Minority Chief Whip and MP for Adaklu, Kwame Governs Agbodza, congratulated the Speaker for spearheading the revision of the Standing Orders and bringing it into operation. He was of the opinion that, the orientation will address members concerns and bring them up to speed on the new provisions and the rationale behind them. He entreated his colleagues to commit their attention to all the facilitators.
In his welcome remarks, the Clerk to Parliament, Mr. Cyril Kwabena Oteng Nsiah, indicated that, since the commencement of the previous Orders, Parliaments have been confronted with contemporary challenges such as the COVID-19 pandemic; institutionalisation of mechanisms to promote the Open Parliament Concept; the hung nature of the Eighth Parliament, which is the first of its kind since the inception of the Fourth Republic, presented a number of novel situations and challenges that were not clearly provided for under the previous Standing Orders.