He indicated that he won't allow himself to be tagged as a govt "errand boy"
Bagbin made these remarks in Parliament
Alban Bagbin, Speaker of Parliament, has repeated that it will not be under his watch as the Speaker of the legislative arm of government that government business will be frustrated.
He indicated that he would not allow himself to be tagged as an errand boy of the government.
According to him, when he was sworn in as the Speaker on January 7, he resolved to discharge his mandate without fear or favour.
Alban Bagbin made these pronouncements whilst addressing Parliament on Thursday, December 16, 2021, after his medical leave outside Ghana.
He noted that though he does not seek to frustrate government business, he will not compromise on serving the interest of Ghanaians.
“Let me reiterate my solemn pledge to the people of Ghana, which I canvassed in my first formal communication to this House, that, I will not superintend over a Parliament to frustrate government business, but, I will equally not preside over a weak House or be tagged as an errand boy of the Executive arm of government.
“This House is fully focused in discharging its mandate and will do so without any fear or favour, affection or ill-will in ensuring the ultimate best interests of the Ghanaian people are served,” Alban Bagbin told the MPs.
He urged the MPs to continue to strengthen channels of communication, foster dialogue, encourage broader stakeholder consultation and allow the processes they have adopted “for our burgeoning democracy to thrive.”
Asantehene, Otumfuo Nana Osei Tutu II, on Sunday, December 12, advised legislators not to use their entrenched positions to frustrate the government from performing its legitimate duties.
He said, lawmakers are only representatives of the people, and it was not their duty to determine policies for the executive arm of government.
“We elect people to represent us to make sure there is some equilibrium in what governments do. It is to our good that our representatives in Parliament subject the national budget to the most rigorous scrutiny and to call for changes.”
“Government must also have the humility to acknowledge and embrace the useful inputs from all sources, but our representatives need to bear in mind that it is not their role to either determine policy or to frustrate the executive from performing their legitimate duties,” Otumfuo Osei Tutu II said at the launch of commemorative gold coins in his honour.
He noted that the good thing in a democracy is that people listen, observe and weigh what their leaders do over time and pass their judgement at the appropriate time.
“So, our parliamentary representatives can be sure that their contributions in the House are not wasted. The people have noted them and know that they will reflect on them when the time comes to determine the next face in our governing process. That may be two years away but that is what democracy demands.
“What is important now is for them to turn down the temperature and allow the process of governance to proceed so that the people will retain their exclusive right to pass judgement on how they have been governed at the appropriate time,” he stressed.
Rt Hon. Alban Bagbin is Speaker of Ghana's 8th Parliament