A survey conducted by the Ghana Centre for Democratic Development (CCD-Ghana) showed about 71 per cent of Ghanaians say their Members of Parliament (MPs) are failing at their jobs.
According to the survey, 42 per cent of Ghanaians say they are very unhappy with the performance of their MPs, with only 5 per cent of them saying they are very satisfied with the work of their elected representatives.
The survey, which was conducted in April 2022, also indicated that 85 per cent of Ghanaians said their parliamentarians do not listen to them.
“More than two-thirds (71%) of Ghanaians give MPs a failing grade on their job performance over the past year. Most Ghanaians (85%) say their MPs “never” or only “sometimes” listen to what people have to say. Only 14% say parliamentarians “often” or “always” try their best to listen,” parts of a statement issued by the CDD on August 26 read.
Also, the study indicated that almost half of Ghanaians say the current hung parliament is more effective in checking the executive, particularly, the expenditure of the government.
“Almost half (46%) of Ghanaians think the composition of the 8th (“hung”) Parliament has made MPs “somewhat more” or “much more” effective in scrutinising government spending. But fewer think MPs have been more effective at passing laws (39%) or more likely to cooperate and build consensus with members of other political parties (39%),” it said.
“Large majorities endorse the role of MPs in a democratic system More than eight in 10 (82%) say Parliament should monitor how the government spends taxpayers’ money, and three-fourths (75%) say MPs should make laws for the country even if the president does not agree,” the CDD-Ghana added.
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