STATEMENT: WHY FIX IT WHEN IT ISN’T BROKEN?
The tsunamic victory of the NDC in both the Parliamentary and Presidential elections on the 7th of December 2024 still feels surreal.
The officially-gazetted results by the Jean-Mensa -led Electoral Commission gave His Excellency John Dramani Mahama an astonishing 57.7% of the popular votes as against 38.2% garnered by his closest contender and Presidential Candidate of the ruling party, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia.
Despite the ongoing legal tussle for some Parliamentary seats, the NDC has so far won 181 seats with the NPP getting a disappointing 89 seats and some 4 seats going to independent Parliamentary candidates.
It is abundantly clear that with or without the disputed Parliamentary seats the NDC has an overwhelming majority in the yet-to-be inaugurated 9th Parliament of the Fourth Republic.
The composition of the 9th Parliament is a stark contrast to the current 8th Parliament with an even number of seats distributed between the two dominant parties; the NDC and the NPP with 137 seats apiece.
The ruling party required the magnanimity and charity of the Independent Member for the Fomena Constituency to constitute a majority in Parliament for government business to progress.
The uniqueness of the Hung Parliament presented Parliament with the arduous task of selecting or electing a speaker with the requisite competence, experience and capacity to steer the legislature to deliver on its mandate of checkmating the two other arms of government as well as representing adequately the constituents who voted to elect the 275 members of parliament.
Four years down the line, the decision to elect the venerable Rt Hon Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin has proven to be the best decision that could have been made when parliament was presented with that onerous task of choosing a speaker to take the Chair in Parliament.
The novelty of the 8th Parliament in no uncertain terms demanded a strong-willed, bold, brave and patriotic citizen cast in the mould of the Rt Hon Alban Bagbin to succeed.
Throughout the 4 years of the life of the last parliament, Rt. Hon Alban Bagbin’s principled stance on matters of national interest dominated his rulings and decisions on the floor of the House.
This principled stance saw him incur the displeasure of the leaders of both sides of the House.
Ironically, the man who openly fought to stop an attempt at rigging the polls during the election of Mr Speaker, the Hon Mohammed Mubarak Muntaka was not spared the fairness and firmness of Rt. Hon Alban Bagbin.
Rt. Hon Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin held on steadfastly to the oath that he swore to defend and protect the constitution of Ghana in all that he did as Speaker.
He never swayed from these principles or bent the rules to favour anyone or a group of people. No matter whose ox was gored he would always say it as it is.
It was his experience that guided Parliament so seamlessly in the face of the hydra-headed, often heated and controversial issues that came before the House and required action.
The thorny issue of whether to pass legislation on LGBTQI received maximum and keen attention from Parliament under the direction of Mr Speaker who never shied away from expressing his revulsion for the phenomenon which does not sit well with the cultural and family values of the Ghanaian society.
The Rt Hon Speaker of Parliament stuck out his neck in condemning the fast-emerging phenomenon no matter the occasion or platform to the extent of daring the globally acclaimed superpowers who are supporting, protecting and projecting the adherents of the devilish act of LGBTQI.
At the end of it all, what Parliament needed to do had been done even though the Bill is still sitting on the shelf of the president waiting for assent.
It should also be recalled that the Speaker’s handling of the chaos that erupted in 2022 as to whether to approve or not to approve the 2023 budget brought him across as a leader who knows when to build bridges in the face of heated disagreements and divisiveness.
In disagreeing with the unfortunate decision by his deputy to lead Parliament to overturn his earlier ruling on the matter he outlined copiously and expressly the reasons why Hon Joseph Osei Wusu was wrong and the decision taken, erroneous.
Yet he allowed sleeping dogs to lie in order not to stagnate and frustrate government business any further. He did this much to the chagrin of the NDC Caucus in Parliament and the Party as a whole.
His decision was informed by the need to build consensus in the National interest.
Having served diligently as a member of Parliament for 28 years, Rt Hon Alban Bagbin saw the need to revolutionise the Standing Orders of Parliament to keep them in tandem with modern parliamentary practice to better serve the mandate of gatekeeping and oversight.
These new standing orders received the support of political enthusiasts and experts of parliamentary democracy.
This in no uncertain terms placed the Parliament of Ghana on a higher pedestal capable of discharging its mandate much better.
Knowing too well, the role human resources play in helping the parliamentary service to achieve its core duty and mandate, Mr Speaker led several initiatives to realign the parliamentary staff structure by creating relevant departments and units with clear-cut tasks aimed at enhancing the efficiency and effectiveness of the parliamentary service of Ghana.
Not only were departments and units created, but salaries, emoluments and allowances of the entire Parliamentary Service were enhanced to keep in tandem with the conditions of service for public servants in the country.
This contributes immensely to productivity within the parliamentary service ensuring that desired or expected results are achieved.
Using his experience as one of the longest-serving MPs, Rt Hon Alban Bagbin led Parliament to pass very critical Acts of Parliament to better serve the interest of the Ghanaian society and to further the mandate bestowed on Parliament by the Constitution of the Republic.
Notable among these Bills include the Affirmative Action Bill which has been in the corridors of Parliament since the inauguration of the 4th Parliament.
It took the long-established gender sensitivity of the Speaker to prioritise the Bill by providing the needed support and guidance to have it passed.
It is important to state that the initiative to broaden citizens’ participation in the parliamentary process was given a huge impetus by the parliamentary service under the distinguished leadership of the Rt Hon Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin.
It would be recalled that Parliament took the time to visit notable Paramount Chiefs and Traditional Areas across the country to brief them on the works of Parliament calling for their involvement in the process to make Parliament much more inclusive and responsive to the needs of the people.
Through the Democracy Cup Initiative, Mr Speaker led Parliament to bring all the relevant stakeholders such as the Executive, the Judiciary, the Police, and NCCE among others with a focus on building a United Country.
This is what a visionary leader does whenever the opportunity to serve is presented to him. This novelty sets Bagbin miles apart from the others who served before him.
Though an unrepentant Akatamansonian, the Rt Hon Alban Bagbin discharged his mandate to the admiration of the masses of Ghana without compromising his membership of the NDC, which sponsored his Speakership Candidature.
Every average NDC member admired his continuous show of support for the ideals of the party hinged on UNITY, STABILITY, PROBITY AND ACCOUNTABILITY.
Testimonies abound across the country on how the Rt Hon Alban Bagbin supported the campaigns of parliamentary candidates and other allied groups geared towards a victory for the NDC.
Mr Speaker contributed generously and massively to oil the wheels of the JM campaign train. In his home region of the Upper West Region, he partnered with all the relevant stakeholders to galvanise support for the NDC in the region.
Following the overwhelming victory of JM and the unprecedented parliamentary majority, the next big decision to be taken before the swearing-in of the President is the election of a speaker of Parliament.
By the dictates of the 1992 Constitution, a Speaker must be elected to superintend the swearing-in of the President before Parliament.
By the outcome of the 2024 elections, any nominee by the NDC Caucus in Parliament would easily pass through as the next speaker.
To this extent, there is a groundswell of support for the retention of Rt Hon Alban Bagbin as the Speaker for the 9th Parliament of The Fourth Republic.
This position has garnered tremendous support and endorsement by various groups and individuals including the Professionals Forum of the NDC led by no mean a person than the acclaimed Ambassador, Lawyer Sam Pee Yalley who minced no words in warning against any decision or consideration by the NDC to nominate any other person for the position of Speaker of the 9th Parliament.
All things being equal, there should have been no calls for doubt as to who should be nominated by the NDC for consideration as the next Speaker of Parliament.
However, we find ourselves in a political terrain where one plus one would not always be two in the considered view of others.
Otherwise, Rt. Hon Alban Bagbin’s spirited commitment to the NDC as a party and his unblemished public service record sets him apart as the de facto Speaker for the 9th Parliament.
His tactful handling of the unique 8th Parliament bears ample testimony to his knowledge, wisdom and experience as far as parliamentary practice is concerned.
He led Parliament to rise above the usual partisan consideration that had always dictated the proceedings of the House.
Furthermore, he rallied his colleagues on both sides of the House to strengthen and build a robust Legislature as a co-equal arm of government that can hold its own against any manipulation by the two other arms of government, the Executive and the Judiciary.
This gave practical meaning and understanding to the role of Parliament as a gatekeeper and checkmate of the other arms as well as all other institutions and agencies.
This cannot be discounted as a huge achievement of the Rt Hon Alban Bagbin.
The Rt Hon Alban Bagbin used his position as Speaker to draw global appeal and Recognition to the Parliament of Ghana.
This global appeal and recognition saw Rt Hon Alban Bagbin elected the President of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (International) with the then Majority Leader, Hon Osei Kyei Mensah Bonsu serving on the Executive Council.
The icing on the cake was the hosting of the conference of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association in 2023, in Accra.
His further election to the position of the President of the Conference of Speakers and Presidents of African Legislatures for another term of three years, speaks volumes to the strength and character of the Ghanaian Parliament under Speaker Bagbin.
The current outlook of the next Parliament requires a person of proven competencies to take the Chair of Speaker.
Such a person must embody the attributes of statesmanship, patriotism and nationalism.
The next Speaker of Parliament must command the respect of the Majority NDC to avoid the temptation of attempting to bulldoze their way through in Parliament considering the huge parliamentary numbers obtained by the NDC in the just-ended elections.
By his track record and tall achievements first as one of the longest-serving Members of Parliament in the history of Ghana’s Parliamentary Democracy and secondly as the Speaker of the uniquely-constituted hung parliament, no one better fits the position of Speaker of the 9th Parliament than the Venerable Rt Hon Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin.
It is never in doubt that the Parliament of Ghana, the Republic of Ghana and the National Democratic Congress would all have their mutual interests served exceedingly better under the speakership of Rt Hon Alban Bagbin.
The point must be made quite strongly and vociferously that the NDC Caucus in Parliament must out of necessity nominate and propose Rt Hon Alban Bagbin to take the Chair of Speaker in the 9th Parliament. And Members of Parliament entreated to vote and endorse his candidature when Parliament convenes to elect a Speaker for the 9th Parliament?
The clarion call for the Rt Hon Alban Bagbin to be retained is centred on the need for a much stronger institution of Parliament capable of standing up to the tenets of separation of powers and the rule of law badly needed for an enhanced parliamentary democracy.
The MPs need no further propping that their welfare and that of other staff of the Parliamentary Service has been and would always remain a priority for Rt Hon Alban Bagbin as Speaker.
The people of Ghana need no reminders that the supreme interest of our dear Republic and ourselves would always drive and underlie his rulings and decision-making on parliamentary proceedings as he has demonstrated in the 8th Parliament.
The media must support the calls for. Rt. Hon Alban Bagbin’s retention as Speaker so that he can continue to open up Parliament for the scrutiny of journalists who constitute the fourth estate of the real.
These and many more are the reasons for which the calls for the NDC to nominate Rt. Hon Alban Bagbin as Speaker for the 9th Parliament must be supported and echoed louder to reach the epoch.
After all, why fix it when it isn’t broken?
Awudu Ishaq
Convener, THIRD FORCE ALLIANCE
01/01/25
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