The Speaker of Ghana’s Parliament, Alban Bagbin has firmly stated that Parliament will not be regarded as an agent of the government during his tenure.
He insisted that the era of Parliament being viewed as a government agency has ended, especially given the current hung nature of this parliament.
Bagbin made these remarks during the launch of the Democracy Cup, an initiative celebrating three decades of parliamentary democracy in Ghana.
He highlighted the importance of maintaining Parliament’s independence and integrity.
According to Speaker Bagbin, he is committed to ensuring that parliament remains autonomous and not an extension of state institutions that can be controlled by external forces.
He stated that his commitment reflects his dedication to upholding the principles of democratic governance.
He reiterated that no individual or group will be allowed to undermine parliament’s role or independence, reaffirming his stance on maintaining the legislative body’s sovereignty and accountability to the people it serves.
“You can’t compare this parliament to the others, this is a completely new game, even if it happens we have now re-positioned ourselves to be able to handle it better. We are applying rules that were for a majoritarian system, we definitely have to vote, and the majority will carry the day, so those rules were for that.
“Now you are running a parliament where there is no majority, so you can’t apply those rules again. You had a parliament that was seen as just part of the public service or government agencies, you have been told that these illustrious presidents all happened to have passed through my hands.
“There is no way that anybody can push me aside and make parliament an agent of government, it won’t happen when I am alive,” he said.
Mr Bagbin is of the view that another hung parliament could help strengthen Ghana’s parliamentary democracy.
Ghana’s 8th Parliament, which for the first time in the country’s history, failed to produce a clear majority on both sides of the divide has come under scrutiny, as the two sides are sometimes unable to reach a consensus on important issues of national interest.
