The Speaker of Parliament, Alban Sumana Bagbin, says he can only be impartial as the leader of the House, but he can’t be neutral because of his affiliation with his NDC party.
He explained that he cannot be neutral because he may have an interest in whatever comes to the floor “but whether it’s against the Majority or against the Minority, I will see it.”
“In the performance of my functions, I will be impartial, but that doesn’t mean I will be neutral,” he said.
Speaking during a visit by the Council of State on Tuesday, March 1, he noted that although he has “good friends on the other side of the political divide,” he does not expect both sides of the House to be happy with his decisions but he would ensure the interest of the state is paramount always.
Commenting on issues concerning the 2022 Budget Statement and the approval of the E-levy, Mr Bagbin suggested that “the concept of majority rule should give way to participatory inclusiveness.”
The Minority and Majority Causes are divided over the passage of the E-levy Bill. This, in some instances, generated chaos between MPs from both Caucuses in the chamber.
Attempts to build consensus on the passage of the Bill have proved futile.
The Council of State expressed worry over these trends in Parliament and said it was ready to play the mediatory role to ensure that the best is achieved for the development of the country.
Addressing the meeting, the Chairman of the Council, Nana Otuo Siriboe II, called on the Speaker to appreciate the challenges posed by the hung nature of the current Parliament and work to resolve the acrimonious relationship between the two divides of the House.
“Mr. Speaker, we want to support you to be the best Speaker that Ghana has ever had. We know that these issues that have happened are only ephemeral, and one day, you will look back at them with nostalgic feelings.”
“We feel that it is bent and not broken and that it can be mended. However, developments in Parliament have given us a feeling that our hope may not be realised and that if we as the Council of State do not give you the support we pledged you and sat down for things to go haywire, we will equally be accused of not doing our work as expected of us by the people of Ghana,” he said.
On his part, Alban Bagbin was confident the mediation talks would achieve the intended purpose and stated that his office is always open to the Council for advice.
He added that he has planned to organise a workshop for the Parliamentary leadership and some elders to moderate and facilitate discussions this weekend.
“None of us is happy with the way things are going. We’ve never had such a hung Parliament before, and you know governance is usually run by the majority, so when you feel you have a majority, decision taking becomes a serious challenge,” he stated.
