Majority Leader Osei -Kyei Mensah- Bonsu has called on political parties to protect sitting Members of Parliament (MPs) from losing their seats to new entrants.
He was displeased that over one hundred of the legislators in the seventh parliament are newly elected, a development he said will affect the output of the House.
Speaking at a symposium to mark 25 years of parliamentary democracy in Ghana in Accra, he described the high attrition rate in the house as a shameful blot on the country’s political system.
“There are challenges that we must admit to; workspace, lack of space, lack of quality and timely data, political equalisation as well as the perceived corruption of political class including MPs,” he said.
He mentioned also that life was not easy for legislators with constituents making all sorts of demands on them.
This year marks 25 years of uninterrupted parliamentary democracy since the return of constitutional rule after repeated military coups.
Being one of the two longest-serving MPs, Mr Mensah Bonsu said the rate at which experienced and seasoned lawmakers were defeated at their parties primaries has to be addressed.
“I must add that a parliament is as strong as its members make it,” he said, stressing “the quality of materials in parliament should be the concern of us all Ghanaians”.
Mr Mensah Bonsu also appealed to political parties to do something about the high attrition rates as “it is not helping to grow parliament”.
He said the usual reference of him and Alban Bagbin as quality products of parliament was not by mere coincidence.
According to him, there are prospects that the political parties must consider grooming.
However, the Executive Director of the Centre for Democratic Development (CDD), H. Kwesi Prempeh suggested the number of MPs should be reduced.
He said although democracy is an expensive enterprise, a high number of MPs only weighs the country down when the resources can be used for other things.
He gave an example of a recall of parliament and how much it cost the country when that money could be invested in building schools and hospitals.
Source: today
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I TOTALLY DISAGREE WITH THE MAJORITY LEADER'S STATEMENT. WE HAVE SEEN SOME MPS THAT HAVE STAYED IN PARLIAMENT FOR EIGHT OR TWELVE YEARS WITHOUT A SINGLE CONTRIBUTION ON THE FLOOR OF PARIIAMENT. AT LEAST THE CONSTITUENTS OF THESE MPS WISH TO SEE AND HEAR THEM (MPS) CONTRIBUTE ON THE FLOOR OF PARLIAMENT. DO WE NEED TO PUT SUCH MPS THERE EVERYTIME BECAUSE THEY HAVE BEEN SEASONED MPS? EMPHATICALLY NO. THAT APART, THERE ARE OTHERS WHO MAY WISH TO NURTURE THEIR POLITCAL AMBITIONS AND WOULD ALSO NEED A PUSH TO GET THERE. IF NON-PERFORMING MPS ARE FREQUENTLY THROWN OUT OF THE HOUSE OF PARLIAMENT COME EVERY GENERAL ELECTIONS THOSE WHO WILL HAPPEN TO SEIZE THE OPPORTUNITY TO BE THERE WOULD JUSTIFY THEIR INCLUSION. I DON'T WANT TO HAVE THE IMPRESSION THAT THE MAJORITY LEADER IS ENTERTAINING FEARS HE MAY LOSE HIS POSITION BECAUSE IT IS BEING PROPHESIZED THAT SOME HEAVY WEIGHTS IN PARLIAMENT WILL LOSE THEIR POSITIONS COME NEXT GENERAL ELECTIONS. BUT REMEMBER, ONE MAN NO CHOP!
Was the MP that Kyei Mensah outsted protected? Why at all does he want protection for the so called seasoned MPs? MPs who don't read documents, yet pass it with alacrity? If they want protection, then they should stop organizing elections and stay there for ever. What kind of non*se*nse is this? These dishonest bunch of legislators should let us have our peace.
why r u so bent on staying on the seat for ever, u keep going on about protecting seats of seasoned MPS if someone had not given way wld u v had the chance to be come a seasoned MP? if ur people like your work they will continue to vote for u, i don't think it will be fair to bend the rules for any so called seasoned MP