The Speaker of Parliament, Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin, has urged leaders and members of the various committees in Parliament to remain independent and impartial to strengthen the integrity of the legislature.
He said the credibility of Parliament depended not only on the decisions it took but also on the transparency and fairness of the processes through which those decisions were reached.
The Speaker made the call at the Parliamentary Committees Leadership Programme in Accra on Saturday, held under the theme, “Enhancing Parliamentary Accountability through Effective Oversight and Post-Legislative Scrutiny”.
Mr Bagbin said parliamentary committees had a responsibility to ensure that legislative and oversight processes were conducted in the national interest.
He explained that parliamentary committees were the engine room of Parliament, playing a critical role in examining legislation, scrutinising public expenditure, interrogating government policies and demanding accountability from public institutions.
He cautioned Members of Parliament (MPs) against allowing external pressure to influence their work, particularly in the consideration of legislation.
The Majority Leader in Parliament, James Agalga, urged parliamentary committee leaders to prioritise consensus-building and mutual respect to improve the efficiency of parliamentary business.
He said although the parliamentary majority had the responsibility to lead government business, it must remain committed to listening to opposing views and accommodating legitimate concerns to ensure effective parliamentary scrutiny.
Mr Agalga noted that consensus-building must not be interpreted as a compromise of political principles but rather as a demonstration of political maturity and recognition that national development required dialogue and collective responsibility.
The former Majority Leader of Parliament, Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, said effective parliamentary oversight was critical to consolidating Ghana’s democracy and ensuring that public resources were used to deliver development outcomes for citizens.
He explained that Parliament’s oversight mandate extended beyond scrutinising government expenditure to ensuring the effective operation of the democratic system and holding institutions entrusted with state resources accountable.
According to him, MPs must develop broad knowledge and capacity to respond to national issues rather than limit their contributions to matters directly related to their committee assignments.
Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu also called for amendments to the 1992 Constitution to strengthen Parliament’s oversight powers, particularly its authority to hold ministries, departments, agencies and other public institutions accountable for the management of state resources.
He said the existing constitutional framework contained gaps that weakened Parliament’s ability to effectively supervise public institutions, arguing that the powers assigned to the Auditor-General appeared broader than those expressly given to Parliament under its oversight mandate.
Addressing committee chairpersons and ranking members at the training programme on enhancing committee leadership for effective parliamentary governance, he said Parliament must review the relevant constitutional provisions to ensure that its oversight responsibilities were clearly defined and adequately supported.
He cited Article 103 of the Constitution, which outlines the functions of parliamentary committees, saying its provisions focused on ministries and departments without expressly including agencies and other independent governance institutions.
He contrasted this with the constitutional provisions governing the Auditor-General, which extend the office’s auditing responsibilities to agencies, educational institutions and independent constitutional bodies.
“The Auditor-General is supposed to work for Parliament in the exercise of our responsibilities. And yet, greater functions have been assigned to the Auditor-General, not so much to Parliament itself,” he said.
BY PRINCE ADDO FRIMPONG
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