Parliament and Congress collaborate (feature)

Page 30, Feb 19, 2008
Article: Emmanuel Adu-Gyamerah

THE development of parliamentary democracy in Ghana has not been smooth sailing compared to that of the United States of America (USA) Congress.
Since independence, Ghana has practised both the Westminster system, where the Prime Minister was a Member of Parliament (MP) and the American type of presidential system, where the president held both ceremonial and executive powers.
The 1992 Constitution, which is a hybrid of the two systems, however, gives the Executive President powers to choose some members of his Cabinet from Parliament.
Unlike the United States Congress, Parliament of Ghana has practised a unicameral form of Legislature over the years. Membership of Parliament had also increased from 103 in 1957 to 230 currently, with each member representing a constituency. The number of constituencies within each of the 10 regions largely depends on the sizes and population of the region.
The United States Congress, however, is a bicameral Legislature, consisting of two Houses, the Senate and the House of Representatives. Both Senators and representatives are chosen through direct election.
The 435 members of the House of Representatives represent a district. Seats in the House are apportioned among the states by population. The 100 Senators serve staggered six-year terms. Each state has two Senators, regardless of the size of the population. Every two years, approximately one-third of the Senate is elected.
The United States Constitution vests all Legislative power in the Congress. The House and the Senate are equal partners in the Legislative process (legislation cannot be enacted without the consent of both chambers). However, the Constitution grants each Chamber some unique powers. The Senate is empowered to approve treaties and Presidential appointments. Revenue-raising bills must originate in the House of Representatives, which also has the sole power of impeachment, while the Senate has the sole power to try impeachment cases.
The Congress meets in the US Capitol in Washington, D.C. The term Congress actually refers to a particular meeting of the national Legislature, reckoned according to the terms of representatives. Therefore, a "Congress" covers two years. The current 110th Congress first convened on January 4, 2007.
Ghana’s Independence Parliament of 1957 was short-lived, because of the people’s anxiety to become a republic. That status was achieved on July 1, 1960.
Despite the considerable total periods of military rule, there have been as many as nine parliaments, namely the Independence Parliament (Nkrumah), the two parliaments of the First Republic (Nkrumah), the Parliament of the Second Republic (Busia), the Parliament of the Third Republic (Limann) and the four parliaments of the Fourth Republic (Rawlings and Kufuor).
At independence in 1957, Ghana adopted the Westminster model of parliamentary democracy. This was practised almost flawlessly from 1957 to 1960 in the First Republic and 1969 to 1972 in the Second Republic. The Third Republic Constitution of 1979 was, however, based on the American system with strict separation of powers between the Executive and the Legislature.

Collaboration between Ghanaian Parliament and the American Congress

Collaboration between the two legislatures over the last 15 years had gone a long way to enhance the efficiency of a number of departments in Parliament and some Members of Parliament (MP).
According Mr Matthew Abrefa Tawiah, a Principal Assistant Clerk of Parliament responsible for the Speaker’s Office, selected MPs visit the American Congress every year under the auspices of National Council for State Legislators (NCSL).
The National Conference of State Legislatures was founded in 1975, with the conviction that legislative service is one of democracy's worthiest pursuits. NCSL is a bi-partisan organisation that serves the legislators and staffs of the nation's 50 states, its commonwealths and territories. The NCSL provides research, technical assistance and opportunities for policy makers to exchange ideas on the most pressing issues.
Each year, selected MPs and staff of the Ghanaian Parliament attend NCSL meeting during which participants share ideas on parliamentary practices and procedures.
Again, through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) training programmes, a number of training programmes have been organised to enhance the competence of the staff of Parliament in research and legislative drafting.
According to Mr Abrefa, USAID had also donated a number of computers to beef up the number at the MPs Internet Cafe and those at the library.
Although President George Walker Bush will not address Parliament during his visit to the country, it is hoped that consultations would be held between some members of his entourage and those of Parliament to deepen the existing bond of friendship between the two legislatures.