News
Parliament is the voice of the people – Speaker Bagbin
The Speaker of Ghana’s Parliament, Rt. Hon. Alban Kingsford Sumana Bagbin, has stated that Parliament is the legislative arm of government that represents the voice of the Ghanaian people.
The Rt Hon Speaker made the statement when a six-member delegation from the University of Media Arts and Communication led by the Rector of the Institute of Journalism, Prof. Christiana Hammond paid a courtesy call on him to present a proposal on upcoming courses in Effective Political Communication to Members of Parliament.
In furtherance, Mr. Speaker said “Parliament is the voice of the people particularly in jurisdictions that focus on that voice including the commonwealth.”
He noted that political communication plays a central role in the business of Parliament adding that Parliament has often made frantic efforts to use resource persons to teach new Members of Parliament in Political Communication.
Additionally, Mr. Speaker revealed that Parliament has in recent times embarked on reforms with a strategic plan where the Public Affairs Department has now been split into three Departments namely Media Relations Department, Public Engagement and Parliamentary Broadcasting to communicate effectively and ensure a robust citizen participation.
The UniMAC Faculty seeks to collaborate with the Parliamentary Training Institute to teach and train Members of Parliament with programs in Effective political communication to obtain Diplomas and Degrees.
This will help enhance the capacity and sharpen the skills of Members of Parliament to effectively communicate with the citizenry.
The Second Deputy Minority Whip, Jerry Ahmed Shaib, has defended the conduct of the Minority in Parliament during Tuesday’s chaotic sitting, insisting their actions were to protect what they believe is a violation of parliamentary procedure.
Explaining the incident, he said the Minority was reacting to developments surrounding a letter which allegedly directed that a seat belonging to the MP for Kpandai be declared vacant despite an earlier ruling by the Speaker.
He argued that the Speaker’s ruling should stand unless overturned by a competent court, and described the sudden reversal as shocking and against parliamentary precedent.
Mr Ahmed said the Minority only attempted to make a statement to register their displeasure, but tensions rose when the Majority Leader insisted on responding instead of commenting, which he said was against the rules.
He also denied claims that Minority MPs crossed the aisle, stressing that they remained within their side and only sought the Speaker’s attention.
He further complained that during proceedings, the Mace—the symbol of authority in the House—was not present and Minority microphones were disconnected, making the process one-sided.
He said the caucus intends to continue pushing to ensure that the MP for Kpandai retains his seat, adding that their next steps will be strategic.
By: Jacob Aggrey
President John Mahama has stated that it is too early for anyone to call for the scrapping of the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) despite recent controversies surrounding the institution.
He argued that the office remains an important part of Ghana’s fight against corruption.
He explained that government is strengthening anti-corruption bodies such as the Economic and Organised Crime Office and the OSP, noting that the OSP is the only agency with the power to independently prosecute cases without going through the Attorney General.
President Mahama said many people distrust the Attorney General’s office because it is headed by a government minister, and some fear it may be slow to prosecute its own.
He believes an independent body like the OSP offers stronger accountability, regardless of who is involved.
He admitted that citizens want to see more prosecutions and visible results, but urged the public to give the OSP time.
He encouraged the office to speed up its investigations to show that it remains relevant in the fight against corruption.
By: Jacob Aggrey
