Professor Emmanuel Gyimah-Boadi, the chair of the governing board of Afrobarometer and co-founder of the Centre for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana), has urged the Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin to speak less in the House.
He also called on Bagbin not to interject himself and his personal views in the work of Parliament.
Prof Gyimah-Boadi was speaking with Kent Mensah on Sunday Night on Asaase Radio.
Asked whether he has been impressed with the Speaker, he said: “… I just wished and hoped that he [Bagbin] speaks less. I hope that he doesn’t interject himself and his personal views in the business of Parliament because he’s the one person in that House who is unelected.”
“Completely perfect”
Speaking on the recent Supreme Court ruling on the voting rights of Deputy Speakers of Parliament, Professor Gyimah-Boadi said the decision by the apex court was “completely perfect”.
He said: “Surely, so long as our Deputy Speakers are parliamentarians, they cannot be stopped from representing their constituencies when it comes to parliamentary decisions, especially where those decisions affect the material welfare or have a bearing on the material welfare of the people in their constituencies.”
“So, that ruling itself was completely perfect. For me, if Ghana doesn’t want its Deputy Speakers to have a vote in Parliament then we should drop that system and appoint public servants to those positions. And they will just be public servants serving as referees using the parliamentary handbook or guidelines on parliamentary work,” Prof Gyimah-Boadi added.
Watch the full interview below:
Asaase Radio 99.5 – tune in or log on to broadcasts online
99.5 in Accra, 101.5 in Bawku, 99.9 in Bimbilla, 100.3 in Cape Coast, 90.7 in Ho, 98.5 in Kumasi, 99.7 in Tamale, 89.5 in Tarkwa and 106.9 in Walewale
Join the conversation. Call: 020 000 9951 or 059 415 7777. Or WhatsApp: 020 000 0995.
#AsaaseRadio
#TheVoiceofOurLand
