The Speaker of Parliament, Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin, has stated that, the January 2024 Standing Orders of Parliament makes the various Committee meetings of Parliament open and accessible to the general public.
This, he said, forms part of Parliament’s effort to deepen the open parliament concept, which demands transparency and accountability in the activities of Parliament. It would be recalled that, Ghana’s Parliament was recently ranked first in the Africa Open Parliament Index.
The Speaker made this statement in his opening address at the orientation workshop for the second cohort of Members of Parliament and Procedural Staff on the new Standing Orders in Kwahu, over the weekend.
According to the Speaker, the Standing Orders were discovered to have presented certain lacunae, anomalies, lack of clarity, and inconsistencies. He therefore indicated that, the development of the current Standing Orders has been under review since 2002 with the aim of ensuring that, the Orders are all-encompassing and reflective of evolving institutional needs.
The Majority Leader and MP for Effutu, Alexander Afenyo-Markin, in his remarks, disclosed that the revised Standing Orders of Parliament which include a dedicated segment known as ‘Backbenchers Time’ will foster inclusivity. This initiative aims to provide Members of Parliament situated at the backbench an opportunity to actively contribute their ideas and perspectives, thereby enriching the parliamentary practice.
The Majority Leader emphasised the workshop’s importance and reiterated the transformative potential embedded in the new Standing Orders.
Speaking on behalf of the Minority Leader, Emmanuel Armah Kofi Buah indicated that, it is indeed an important occasion as the vision for the revision of the Standing Orders which started over two decades ago has been realised. Stressing on the relevance of the revised orders, he stated that, “Mr. Speaker, in any progressive society every functioning institution is governed by rules, and without rules there would be mere anarchy. Much more importantly, as the Legislative arm of government, the conduct of business in Parliament needs to be guided by rules.”
In his welcome remarks, the Clerk to Parliament, Mr. Cyril Kwabena Oteng Nsiah, indicated that, the hung nature of the Eighth Parliament, which is the first of its kind since the inception of the Fourth Republic, presents a number of novel situations and challenges that were not clearly provided for under the Standing Orders of November, 2000.
“This state of affairs required, therefore, that action be expedited on the revision of the Standing Orders to provide for aspects of our legislative procedures that were not within the contemplation of the drafters of previous Orders of the House,” he added.
According to him, the orientation programme would afford Members of Parliament and Procedural Officers the opportunity to familiarise themselves with contents of the revised Standing Orders, and provide the platform to seek clarity and understanding of provisions of the Orders to engender compliance with newly introduced procedures and practices of the House.
