Editorial: MPs Must Work On All Reports Before Christmas

As Parliament reconvenes for the Third Meeting of the First Session of the Fifth Parliament of the Fourth Republic, the Speaker of Parliament, Hon. Justice Joyce Adeline Bamford-Addo, has cautioned all honorable members to be mindful of their time. She said even though the work of the Members of Parliament demands a lot of commitment, not only to attending parliamentary proceedings, but to other important duties, efforts must be made to be regular and punctual as far as meeting is concern. In her welcome address to the Members of Parliament after a long break which afford the MP�s the opportunity to work at their various constituencies, Justice Bamford-Addo, reminded the MPs that they are being watched by their constituents and they would be judged accordingly. She was of the view that despite all commitments, the interest of the nation stands paramount therefore the MPs must not trade their constitutionally mandated work for anything. Even though heckling is an accepted form of protesting on the floor of Parliament, Rt. Hon. Speaker took the opportunity to caution the MPs, especially those who occupy the back seat, commonly known as the backbenchers, to be mindful of their interjection when there is an issue on the floor of the house. The GO endorses the passage from the Hon. Speaker that the backbenchers and other Members of Parliament who have problems must liaise with the Chair or the Leadership of the House before spilling it out in the chamber. This, we believe, will go a long way to facilitate the smooth work of Parliament and save time considering the amount of work they are suppose to do. In addition, the GO believes that issues bothering on the interest of the nation must not be debated on political lines, but with the aim of representing and pushing the larger interest of Ghanaians forward. Considering the tedious work of the Members of Parliament, the Parliamentary Service Board and with the help of government, has established an in house clinic to help the MPs with first aid treatment, the GO thinks that the advice from Rt. Hon Speaker to the MPs to take opportunity of the clinic and check their health periodically is in the right direction. Even though Hon. Speaker did the right thing by using the opportunity to welcome into the House the newly elected Member of Parliament for Chereponi, Hon. Samuel Abdulai Dajabanyiti, and also paid tributes to all Members of Parliament who have passed away in recent times, it is the prayer of GO that such bad news will not hit the Parliament and for that matter the nation again. In order to make the government machinery run faster, Bills and Loan facilities that comes to the House must be worked on promptly but with a lot of care. This, we believe, can only be done when the various Committees work assiduously and report back to the House for considerations. We therefore associate ourselves with the call by the Hon. Speaker that all reports at the Committee level must be worked on and considered by the House before it goes on recess for the Christmas festivities. GO welcomes all Honourable Members and the Hon. Speaker back from the recess and wish them fruitful deliberations.