The Speaker of Parliament, Mr Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin, says the January 2024 Standing Orders of Parliament offer an opportunity to address the evolving needs of Ghana’s dynamic and hybrid parliamentary democracy.

He said the processes and procedures in the House were challenged with time and practice, exposing the gaps and deficiencies in the November 2000 Standing Orders.

The present composition of the House had brought those gaps and deficiencies into sharper focus, even though those deficiencies surfaced as far as early 2001, he said.

“We must start aligning the conduct of business in the House with the evolving and changing trends and requirements of our Parliament,” Speaker Babgin said.

“We need to know how to apply and cope with the January 2024 Standing Orders, which have replaced the 2000 Orders. These are some of the reasons we are here today. As we say in Africa, when the drummers alter their beats, the dancers must adjust their steps.”

Speaker Bagbin made the statement in his opening address at the orientation workshop for Members of Parliament (MPs) and Procedural Staff on the new Standing Orders in Ho at the weekend.

He stated that the attendant composition of the House had brought to the fore several challenges with the old Standing Orders.

 “These led to diverse interpretations of some procedures and practices, constant and acerbic verbal one-upmanship on the floor of the House, increased tensions, near fisticuffs, and eventually, including the pronouncement of the Supreme Court regarding the November 2000 Standing Orders.”

The current Standing Orders, which came into effect on January 2, 2024, assures for effective and efficient performance of Parliament and Parliamentarians.

The Standing Orders are deeply rooted in the 1992 Constitution of the Republic of Ghana and drew on the Darwinian Concept of a “living organism,” the Speaker said.

“It is a dynamic document that continues to evolve and therefore, the metaphorical representation of a ‘living Constitution’ is a testament to its capacity to adapt to society’s ever-changing needs, reflecting the evolution of laws, policies and preferences.”

He borrowed the words of Laurent Fabius, the former Prime Minister of France: “The revision of legal documents may not be without imperfections, but at least it won’t be rigid. It will be a necessary step towards building the institution and country we desire.”

Mr Bagbin urged the MPs to approach their work with diligence and innovation, given the fact that Parliament was confronted with an increasing level of public distrust, which needed to be tackled through their approach to work. 

“The 2020 general election presented incontrovertible evidence of this and alerted us to the potential future shifts and turns in our country’s socio-political landscape,” he said.

 Mr Cyril Kwabena Oteng Nsiah, the Clerk to Parliament,  said since the commencement of the previous Orders, Parliaments had been confronted with contemporary challenges such as the Covid-19 pandemic and institutionalisation of mechanisms to promote the Open Parliament Concept.

The hung nature of the Eighth Parliament, which was the first of its kind since the inception of the Fourth Republic, presented several novel situations and challenges that were not provided for under the previous Standing Orders, he said.

Mr Nsiah mentioned some of the practices and procedures that had been introduced in the new Orders, including the recital of the National Pledge on the first day of Sitting for each week, and the conduct of a roll call of MPs at each sitting at the behest of the Speaker.

He added that Parliamentary Committees had increased from 31 to 44 to emphasise the new focus and direction of the House, as part of efforts to expand and improve parliamentary oversight of activities of state actors.

Mr Alexander Kwamina Afenyo-Markin, the Deputy Majority Leader and a New Patriotic Party MP for Effutu, who spoke on behalf of Mr Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, the Majority Leader, said the only weapon for an MP was the rules book (Standing Orders) and cited himself as an example that when he entered the Chamber in 2013 and found himself fumbling, his only saviour was the rules book.

Advising his colleagues, he said the only way to survive and stand on their feet and make meaningful contributions on the floor of the Chamber amid all intimidation was to stand firm and be within the rules, which they should not take for granted.

“For the outgoing MPs, do not forget about the rules book as you are likely to come back and for those who would be retained, take the rules seriously,” Mr Afrnyo-Markin advised.

Mr Kwame Governs Agbodza, the Minority Chief Whip and a National Democratic Congress MP for Adaklu, congratulated the Speaker for spearheading the revision of the Standing Orders and bringing it into operation.

He expressed the hope that the orientation would address members’ concerns and bring them up to speed on the new provisions and the rationale behind them.

The Campaign Team of former President John Dramani Mahama, Flagbearer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), has denied knowledge of a group called the ‘social democratic forum’ saying it had no affiliation to any such group.

A statement issued by Mrs Joyce Bawah Mogtari, Special Aide to former President Mahama, copied to the Ghana News Agency, said the Mahama 2024 Campaign had been made aware of an information allegedly circulated by that group, affiliated to the New Patriotic Party (NPP).

“The statement suggests that the National Democratic Congress (NDC) is over-relying on Alan Kyeremanteng and his Butterfly Movement for political gains in the Ashanti Region,” the campaign team said.

The Mahama 2024 Campaign would like to clarify that it had no affiliation with the said group, which was unknown to the NDC, it said.

It noted that this non-existent group was yet another creation of the NPP, who were in a panic mode due to growing discontent in the Ashanti Region against “the economic mismanagement of the government.”

The statement said the NPP had failed to live up to the expectations of the people of the region, which had led to significant support for the NDC.

The NDC, the largest and most well-structured opposition party in Ghana, was willing to cooperate with all relevant forces interested in protecting the country’s economy, it said.

“However, we have never relied on any organisation or party to carry out our duties and responsibilities as a political party.”

It reiterated that the focus of the NDC and the Mahama 2024 Campaign was to organise and mobilise for the December elections “with our message of ‘Building the Ghana we want together.”

The Minister of Information, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, has confirmed that Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, the New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) presidential candidate, will not repeal the National Service Scheme (NSS).

Dr. Bawumia announced his vision for the country in Accra on Wednesday, including proposals to make the service optional if elected president in the next general elections.

Oppong Nkrumah promised Ghanaian teenagers seeking work that they will not be turned down because they had not done national service.

• Oppong Nkrumah worries about attacks on reporters.

“NSS will stay, he’s not saying he’s going to abolish NSS. He’s saying that if you get a job, and you are being denied that job because you haven’t done the mandatory national service, he’s going to take that clause out. If you get a job and the employer is willing to take that job, the employer is not compelled to say that because you haven’t done national service, he should not give you the job. It does mean that this training and learning and growing of culture is gone, it’s still there. You will not be denied a job because you haven’t done national service,” he said on Face to Face on Citi TV with Umaru Sanda Amadu.

The Ranking Member on the Education Committee of Parliament, Dr. Clement Apaak, says Bawumia’s proposal to make the one-year mandatory National Service optional will only create opportunities for bribery and corruption to flourish.