Parliamentary democracy has come of age in Ghana

Page 16, April 30, 2008
Article: Emmanuel Adu-Gyamerah

GHANA’s parliamentary democracy has come of age, having been sustained since 1993 when the country returned to constitutional rule after wallowing in military dictatorship for many years.
Since the inception of the Fourth Republic, Parliament has travelled a smooth journey of 16 years during which the two sides of the House had come to recognise each other as a partner in development rather than what was formally termed as “opposition”.
This is the first time that parliamentary democracy in the country has been able to travel thus far as various previous attempts had ended in fiasco because of military adventurism.
The most interesting aspect of the country’s current parliamentary democracy is the fact that both the Majority and Minority have exchanged roles when the country returned to constitutional democracy.
Debates on the floor of the House have grown, from the First Parliament of the Fourth Republic when the House was perceived as a one-sided Parliament. This was because the then opposition, the New Patriotic Party (NPP), boycotted parliamentary polls in protest against what they termed “a stolen verdict” of the presidential poll held earlier.
Again, the other party in the First Parliament of the Fourth Republic, apart from the then ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC), the National Convention Party (NCP) went into alliance with the NDC before the general election and could, therefore, not be seen as a credible Minority capable of critically scrutinising policies of the government on the floor of Parliament.
Currently, out of the 230 members in the House, nine have been Members of Parliament (MPs) since 1993, 45 since 1997 and 49 since the last Parliament (2001-2004).
The current Parliament also has as many as 122 new entrants while five members can be described as “returnees or ‘ababios’ ” because they lost their seats through various elections and made a comeback to the present Parliament.
They are Alhaji Collins Dauda (Asutifi South), Mr J.K. Gyapong (Akan), Mr Joseph Laani Labik (Bunkprugu-Yunyoo), Mr Dominic Azumah (Garu-Tempane) and Mr Kojo Armah, MP for Evalue-Gwira.
However, it is expected that many members of the present Parliament would not be able to make it to the next Parliament, which begins on January 7, 2009 due to one reason or another.
At the last count, as many as 14 experienced MPs had made up their minds not to seek re-election during the December general election.
From the New Patriotic Party (NPP) side, veteran MPs who will not seek re-election include Mr J.H. Mensah, Sunyani East; Mrs Gladys Asmah, Takoradi; Mr Yaw Osafo-Maafo, Akim Oda; Nana Akufo-Addo, Abuakwa South; Ms Theresa Amerley Tagoe, Ablekuma South; Mr S.K. Boafo, Subin; Mr Kwamena Bartels, Ablekuma North; Dr Kofi Konadu Apraku, Offinso North; Dr Kwame Addo-Kufuor, Manhyia; Mr Kwadwo Adjei-Darko, Sunyani West; and Mrs Grace Coleman, Effiduase-Asokore.
The National Democratic Congress (NDC) side will also lose experienced MPs, such as Mr Samuel Sallas-Mensah, Upper West Akim; Mr Ken Dzirasah, South Tongu; and Mr Francis Agbotse, Ho West.
It is also expected that some MPs will lose their bid to contest the December election after the various parties have conducted their primaries to select their parliamentary candidates.
Already, the NDC MP for South Dayi, Dr Kwame Ampofo, whose contributions in the House, as far as energy is concerned, have been tremendous, has fallen by the wayside.
There are also agitation across the country because certain individuals who think they have stayed at the periphery of politics for a long time are calling on MPs who had had two or three terms of office to give way to new ones. In some constituencies, as many as seven people have filed their nominations to contest primaries of their various parties.
The situation makes it easy for one to predict that the next Parliament will be full of new entrants. If that happens, what would be the fate of the House?
It has always been difficult for new MPs to study and adjust to the procedures and practices of the House. Only few new MPs are able to learn fast and contribute effectively to debates in Parliament. For some it has to take them the full cycle of their first term to gain the needed confidence to be active in Parliament.
The absence of seasoned MPs who have decided not to seek re-election will definitely have a serious consequence on the performance of the House, especially during the first session of the Fifth Parliament.
Debates on the floor of the House have shown that it takes matured MPs, who have done the necessary research and know much about the subject matter under discussion, to enhance parliamentary debates. New MPs are easily heckled and cowed into submission, thereby marring the beauty of debates in the House.
The agitation that experienced MPs should rest to pave the way for others to contest their seats is not the best for country’s parliamentary democratic system.
In my view, people who are making such agitation are doing so in ignorance. Parliament needs experienced people who are well versed in the procedures and practices of the House and as far as I am concerned, if MPs are doing well, they should not be changed.
It is my opinion that Ghanaians do not understand the actual work of MPs and programmes should be put in place to educate the electorate about the actual work of MPs. It is wrong to judge the performance of MPs through the number of projects they have undertaken. The foremost work of an MPs is to assist to enact laws, which will assist in the improvement of lives of the people. Again, to me, they are also to prevent the enactment of bad laws and the institution of policies that would be inimical to the development of the people.
The future of the country’s parliamentary democracy is bright and it is the expectation of Ghanaians and the international community that nothing would be done to disturb the current progress being made.
Current problems facing the country’s progress, as far as the retention of experienced MPs are concerned, can be described as the “pangs of childbirth”. At the end of the day, the country can rub shoulders with its counterparts everywhere in the world.