Atik Mohammed has passed a judgment over the 9th Parliament of Ghana following Thursday’s incident of violence involving the MPs.
The members of the Appointments Committee clashed with one another over a disagreement on vettting two ministerial nominees; Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa. Minister for Foreign Affairs, and Kwabena Mintah Akandoh for the Health Ministry.
The clash resulted in the MPs destroying tables and microphones, hence compelling the Speaker of the House, Alban Sumana Bagbin, to suspend four of them.
The suspension has however been lifted after the leadership of the minority and majority caucuses pleaded on their members’ behalf and rendered apology to Ghanaians.
Speaking in a media interview, Atik Mohammed expressed disappointment in the conduct of some parliamentarians, and surmised that they seem to consider Parliament as an insurance policy instead of a serious house of business.
Referencing their behavior in the 8th Parliament that was dissolved on the eve of President John Mahama’s swearing-in on 7th January, 2025, Atik said; “This is my assessment and a sincere one at that of Parliament. It’s like, over the period, the quality in the House is gradually going down and that is a really, really good source of worry.”
To him, “Parliament is becoming insurance for politicians who think their party will go into opposition, so let me go buy that insurance” but stressed “Parliament cannot be insurance for politicians. It cannot be a safe haven for politicians”.
“It should be a place where you come believing that I have what it takes to contribute to deliberations, to the making of good laws…being a parliamentarian is like being a researcher becuase on daily basis, you are inundated with documents that demand thorough research to make sure that this bill that we are going to pass will help Ghana”, he emphasized.
Source: Richard Nana Appiah Kubi/Ahotoronline.com
