Hung parliament good for Ghana – Kofi Bentil

Senior Vice-President of IMANI-Africa, Kofi Bentil, has opined that the current hung parliament experienced for the first time in Ghana is the best for the country’s democratic governance.

Speaking on Joy News’ Newsfile, on Saturday, Mr. Bentil said the current situation has made members of the house to be more prudent in checking certain realities like absenteeism, among other duties which was ignored years ago.

“We should all be minded to stead down and shame those parliamentarians who take the money, take the office, take the purse and do not go to work. This is entirely good and it’s one of the good things that come out of a hung Parliament.

“As far as I am concerned, we should always have hung parliament because it will create a certain dynamic that would bring good things out of the democratic structure we have. This is the first time in the fourth republic that we are having Parliament asses itself in this kind of strong way,” he said.

Mr. Bentil was reacting to the referral of three MPs, Sarah AdwoaSafo, Henry Quartey, and Kennedy Agyepong, to the Privileges Committee for absenting themselves for over 15 sittings by the Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin.

Mr. Bagbin urged the committee to provide its report to the house two weeks after the House reconvenes from its recess.

Per Article 97(1)(c) of the 1992 Constitution, a Member of Parliament shall vacate his seat “if he is absent, without the permission in writing of the Speaker, and he is unable to offer a reasonable explanation to the Parliamentary Committee on Privileges from fifteen sittings of a meeting of Parliament during any period that Parliament has been summoned to meet and continues to meet.”

Responsibility

Mr. Bentilfurther asked the various lawmakers to be responsible and see their work as parliamentarians as a full-time work rather than part-time.

“We should complain because there are rules for Parliament and indeed the rule is that if you are a parliamentarian, it is a full-time job and if you want to do anything on the side, you need to seek permission from the Speaker…If you don’t want to do the job of a lawmaker, go and make laws, sit in Parliament, debate and please don’t go to Parliament…that rule [Standing Order 16] was made for a certain broader goal and the goal is that if they don’t want to go to work, they should relinquish their seat,” he stated.