Speaker Alban Bagbin
The Speaker of Parliament, Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin, has sent a cautionary note to Members of Parliament (MPs) who might be offered ministerial appointments not to undermine the work of Parliament.
“By the dictates of the Constitution of the Fourth Republic, some of you (referring to MPs) will, in due course, be nominated and, with the approval of this House, appointed by the President to positions in his administration as ministers and deputy ministers of state,” he said.
According to him, MPs who are appointed to ministerial office generally prioritize their executive branch roles over their parliamentary roles, and he, therefore, wants such MPs to take steps to minimize the negative impact of this arrangement on “the business, mandate and performance of the House.”
He told MPs at the Second Sitting of the First Meeting of the Eight Parliament that “this so-called ‘hybrid’ feature of our constitutional system means, in effect, that a certain number of you will, at any given time, be under a duty to serve three Masters—constituency, Parliament and the President.”
The Speaker said scholars and students of governance had observed and noted the myriad ways in which this constitutional arrangement had served to unbalance the relationship between the Executive and Parliament, intimating that the hybrid arrangement had “adversely affected the ability of Parliament and of MPs to carry out faithfully their representative, oversight, deliberative and legislative roles.”
“Until we reform this constitutional arrangement to improve the country’s governance, however, I believe all parties or players implicated in this arrangement, namely the President, Parliament itself and those members appointed as ministers, have each a responsibility to take steps to minimize the negative impact of this arrangement on the business, mandate and performance of the House,” Mr. Bagbin stressed.
As a former member of the House, he said one thing he knew for sure was that drawing a large number of ministers and deputy ministers of state from Parliament “is unhelpful to the business of Parliament and also weakens Parliament’s ability to perform its proper role in the promotion of good governance.
“Be that as it may, members appointed to serve as Ministers or Deputy Ministers must understand that, you are Members of Parliament, first and foremost,” he noted, saying, “In fact, in most or nearly all cases, you will have earned your appointment as Minister of State on account of your position or standing as a Member of Parliament.”
“It behooves such members, therefore, to continue to take your parliamentary roles and responsibilities seriously. Indeed, the anecdotal evidence suggests that among members who double as ministers, those who strive to balance their responsibilities to both branches of government, as difficult as that may be, tend to have more successful and longer careers on both sides,” he cautioned.
By Ernest Kofi Adu, Parliament House