Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin
SPEAKER OF Parliament, Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin, has lampooned Ghanaians for allegedly not seeing the value of Parliament in the building of democratic culture of the country.
According to him, the citizens know and think about the executive, particularly the President of the Republic, under the banner of democracy to the neglect of the Parliament in the scheme of affairs of the country.
“That is the pretence of democratic practice in Ghana. They see the relevance of Parliament, but they don’t see how important Parliament is in the building of democratic culture of the country,” he told Members of Parliament (MPs) on the floor yesterday.
“Here [referring to Ghana], the only thing they know is the President, and that is all. So we need to fight,” he stressed, while responding to concerns raised by the NPP MP for Adansi Asokwa, K.T. Hammond, on why a portion of the precincts of Parliament is used to hold state funerals and other events.
The Speaker said, “In spite of the fact that we have belonged to this path for almost 30 years, we are still tenants in this place.”
He indicated that he was aware of the efforts all earlier leaders had made to get permission from the Executive to take possession of “this whole precinct.”
He added, “And the places that have been given to us as tenants are the Chamber block, which was reconfigured from the initial International Conference Centre, the Speaker’s Block and Job 600.”
“The Banquet Hall is not part of the properties given to us. So even when we want to use the Banquet Hall we have to make an application and sometimes pay for its use. This place was meant to be a temporary shelter for Parliament of the Fourth Republic and then a proper place would be located and constructed for Parliament,” Mr. Bagbin posited.
According to him, it took the bravery of the late Rt. Hon Peter Ala Adjetey to get the executive to open the ceremonial gate for MPs to pass through and enter the precinct of Parliament.
“Before it was always closed and members had to go through the back gate. But he [Ala Adjetey] said he was a chief. There is no way that a chief will enter his palace through the back door. He has to go through the front.
“That solo voice of his shook the grounds and the next day the ceremonial gate was opened. But as of today, by 6 o’clock, whether we are here or not, it is secured and locked, and we all have to pass through the back door,” he stated.
He intimated that no President has taken the decision to give the entire State House to Parliament for its work, adding, “They will give you the indication that we don’t object to it, but they will never put pen and paper together to write and say that please you can go ahead.”
“Right up from the time of J.H. Owusu Acheampong to J.H. Mensah throughout, letters have been written. Even today, the Majority Leader seated here is chasing such a letter to try and get His Excellency to write to give us the area that you just mentioned to be the precinct of Parliament for us to develop just behind us into real valuable properties for the use of this House.
“As of today, we have not got any positive response. So sometimes, when you hear me talk about security, take it seriously because even some people, from time to time, jump the wall and come and do a lot of things, and when you are chasing them, they jump into the cemetery area,” the Speaker stated.
He said some vehicles of some MPs had been broken into and valuables taken away by miscreants, pointing out, “So it’s a serious matter. The people of Ghana don’t know this. We have to shout; we have to let them know. They are prepared to support us to have at least a permanent place as an arm of government.”
“We cannot continue to be tenants in our own house. It took us a long time to change it from State House to Parliament House. This place is the State House, and it is under the President, usually under the care of the Chief of Staff. So when we are writing for things you write through there,” he stressed.
He continued, “Until they reply, you have no right to make use of its property. State Protocol is just behind us and there is a main garage where the vehicles are serviced for the executive, and not us (legislature). We service our vehicles outside. That is how Parliament is being treated.”
BY Ernest Kofi Adu, Parliament House