Alban Sumana Bagbin, the Speaker of Parliament, has advised Ghanaians to remain steadfast, cherish, support and preserve the gains of the nation’s fledgling democracy, as the December 7, general election gathers momentum.
He said Ghanaians would bear the brunt if the country’s democracy was truncated hence the need for everybody to contribute his or her quota to preserve the prevailing peace.
“We are all going to lose our freedom and liberties if the nation’s democracy is truncated,” Speaker Bagbin stated when addressing a mock parliament held at the auditorium of the Sunyani Technical University.
The Parliamentary Service organised the session as part of activities to commemorate the 30 years of uninterrupted parliamentary democracy in the country on the theme:
“Thirty Years of Parliamentary Democracy Under the Fourth Republic: The Journey So Far.” Members of Parliament (MPs), Ministers of State, and students, civil society actors and organisations, political parties, youth and women groups and traditional leaders attended the day’s event.
Speaker Bagbin indicated that, “you understand why I decided to place a great premium on the celebration of the 30 years parliamentary democracy in Ghana. I myself, I am living evidence of the 30 years of democracy in Ghana.
“I believe through it, I have experienced it, I have felt it, and he who feels it knows it better, and for us in parliament we don’t take this achievement lightly”, he stated, amid applause from the participants.
Parliament, the Speaker, explained was the evidence that democracy existed in the country, saying, “there is no democracy anywhere without parliament.
“Governments do come and go and they can be in any form, but to have democracy you must have parliament.”
Unfortunately, the Speaker noted with concern that parliament could be performing creditably, however, anytime the people were dissatisfied, they rather blamed the parliament.
Citing the recent internal aggressions and happenings in Kenya as an example, the Speaker noted that, “the imposition of taxation was initiated by the executive. That angered the people. However, they did not go to attack the president, but parliament.
“That shows the central role of parliament as the spine of our democracy and that is why we should take the institutions of parliament so seriously and the members themselves should not toy with the responsibilities given them.”
Mr. Kwasi Ameyaw-Cheremeh, the MP for Sunyani East, expressed worry that Ghana was still grappling with issues of poverty, corruption, unemployment and many other negatives, in the 30 years of the nation’s democracy.
However, he added: “We cannot claim that the political leadership of the country has not attempted to address many of these issues over the 30 years of our democratic dispensation under the fourth republic.”
He said through legislations, oversight, deliberative functions, and constituency service “we have established institutions, and mechanisms for the delivery of public goals to our people,” adding that, “in the past three decades, the Republican 1992 Constitution has undoubtedly been beneficial to the country.”
However, we must admit that some of the provisions, assumptions and views have changed or are not supported by current socio-political and economic realities, and that is why a number of stakeholders have called for the review of the 1992 Constitutions.
Mr Ameyaw-Cheremeh underlined the importance for everybody to be ready to be engaged whenever the time comes for the review of the 1992 Constitution so that whatever products come out would stand the test of time.
“We need a constitution that discourages the winner takes all, and encourages collaboration, cooperation, and collectiveness and the building of consensus during decision making at all levels of government,” the MP stated.
GNA