He says managing the affairs has been difficult
There have been some chaotic scenes in the chamber recently
Alban Bagbin, Speaker of Ghana's eighth Parliament, has been speaking about his difficulty in dealing with the Members of Parliament in the lawmaking chamber.
The former MP for Nadowli Kaleo, described as 'difficult,' the process of managing affairs in the Parliament has been described as unique due to its composition.
Speaking at the inauguration of the Parliamentary Press Corps on Monday, April 4, 2022, Speaker Bagbin said,
“Managing this parliament has been a difficult one since the old rules are the same being used to manage this new kind of Parliament (hung parliament) where all sides have an equal number of honourable ladies and gents.
“Some people do not understand why the behaviour of the current Parliament is way different from the old one, but it is actually to be expected, though we didn’t anticipate it. Making decisions on some very important issues becomes very tough because the numbers come to play.”
Alban Bagbin in his quest to leave a legacy after his tenure has said a review needs to be carried out on the Standing Orders of the House to prevent chaos and ensure smooth decision-making.
“Because of the new creature we have today, which you refer to as the hung Parliament, the rules we have now, are structured for a majoritarian Parliament, which we don’t have now. We are trying to tweak the rules a bit to incorporate some rules that can help us manage a situation like this. It has been very difficult to manage this Parliament.”
From the inauguration of the eighth Parliament till now, there have been some chaotic scenes, largely due to its hung nature, as both sides of the House have the same number of members - 137 each - with an independent candidate giving the ruling NPP the 'Majority Group' designation.
In recent times, the nature of Parliament has also posed a huge problem for Parliamentary rules and Standing Orders, forcing some persons to seek interpretation at the Supreme Court.
A March 9 Supreme Court ruling that declared that deputy speakers sitting as Speakers do not lose their votes, created a huge debate with the Speaker of Parliament himself criticising the ruling.
Alban Bagbin