Alban Bagbin
THE SPEAKER of Parliament, Rt. Hon Alban Bagbin, says Parliaments around the world must collaborate to share experiences for legislations to harness their solutions.
Speaking at the inauguration of the Management Committee of Parliamentary Friendship Association (PFA) Thursday in Parliament, Hon Bagbin said this was because of the dynamics of economic development, gender related issues, unemployment, trade, the environment, climate change, migration, terrorism, and trans-national crimes, among others, which need strategic solutions.
He indicated that the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic had taught the world that global integration was very urgent for global development given the fact that the pandemic “has heightened helplessness in our attempt to handle emerging challenges as individual countries.”
Mr. Babgin said “the world, in our time, has become a global village due to the great strides made in science and technology.”
The PFA is a cross-party association of legislators established to promote continuous dialogue with Members of other legislatures.
These associations, once established, enter into bilateral or multilateral relations with their counterparts in other legislatures.
The nine-member committee, chaired by Deputy Majority Leader, Alexander Afenyo-Markin, comprises James Klutse Avedzi (Vice Chairman), Lydia Seyram Alhassan, Ahmed Ibrahim, Bryan Acheampong, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, O. B. Amoah, Dr. Emmanuel Marfo and Richard Acheampong, all MPs.
The Speaker said the inauguration of the Management Committee marked a significant stride in the development of the Parliamentary friendship association, adding that, emerging challenges confronting this world, tend to be trans-generational and trans-territorial.
In his view, no nation on earth could claim exclusive knowhow to deal with emerging issues around the world, and that such issues required countries to come together, build stronger networks and apply best practices as well as contribute to solving current problems in the world.
“The presence of members of the diplomatic corps at this important event reaffirms the unweaving bond of friendship and excellent relations between Parliament and their respective countries.”
“Indeed, the Parliament of Ghana had, by the end of the 7th Parliament, established friendship associations with 38 countries. Relations between these associations and their counterparts were characterized by exchanges,” he disclosed.
Speaker Bagbin therefore emphasised the need to build upon gains chalked, intimating that “We cannot wait to re-organise these associations while establishing new associations with other friendly countries before creating further linkages needed for global peace and development.”
Majority Leader, Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, said there was no gainsaying that parliamentary associations have become important tools of Parliaments all over the world.
He stated that such associations increasingly, had become synonymous with parliamentary diplomacy, and added that Parliaments of various countries used such groups to assist in their cooperation with one another, to network and organise different activities.
“They have forcefully been used by parliamentarians to deepen interaction with their counterparts in other Parliaments across the globe,” he asserted.
The Minority Leader, Haruna Iddrisu, said the PFA was intended to build stronger ties among MPs and their colleagues in sister nations in order to strengthen the peace and cooperation among countries.
He commended Speaker Bagbin for the initiative, adding that it took some thinking by some MPs for PFA to be well established.
“Mr. Speaker, I have no doubt that as flagbearer of this House, you will be a lead advocate of a Ghana beyond this Parliament,” he stated.
By Ernest Kofi Adu, Parliament House