The MP for Assin Central, Kennedy Agyapong, has said Ghana’s current Parliament can now be likened to a marketplace because there is no order.
The current parliament is split down the middle between the two main political parties, posing the risk of gridlock on Ghana’s problems, especially over the passage of bills. “There is no decorum,” the maverick politician said on The Asaase Breakfast Show on Tuesday (22 February 2022).
“The way we are handling Parliament is like we’re in Makola – the busiest market at the Central Business District in Accra. It’s all because the numbers are close and in actual fact, you don’t even know who’s the majority except when you add the independent candidate to it,” Agyapong said in a conversation with Kwaku Nhyira-Addo.
Agyapong said he no longer has the “zeal” to attend to Parliamentary sessions due to the chaotic nature of debates.
“What is happening in Parliament is not interesting at all. This is the worst throughout my six terms in Parliament. When I’m going to Parliament I don’t even have the zeal and nothing is being done about it.
“I’ll entreat my brothers in opposition to compromise and at the same time, the government should also compromise because you can’t be on the defensive all the time. If you do that there’ll be no peace. We need to come together in the name of the country and move things forward,” Agyapong said.
The economist and liberal political stalwart Kwame Pianim has suggested that President Nana Akufo-Addo and his predecessor John Mahama must meet to address the crisis in Parliament.
The current parliament is split down the middle between the two main political parties, posing the risk of gridlock on Ghana’s problems, especially over the passage of the 2022 Budget Statement.
Pianim said the two statesmen must dialogue to resolve the issue as soon as possible.
“It is a misfortune for Ghana that the president doesn’t have the parliament to implement his agenda. This is his last term. But, as the Chinese say, ‘Every crisis presents an opportunity,’ so you don’t let it go to waste.
“I had expected the president and then former president [John] Mahama to sit down quietly and say, ‘How do we make this thing work?’ Don’t leave it to Parliament to do,” Pianim told the host of The Asaase Breakfast Show, Kwaku Nhyira-Addo.
Source: Asaaseradio.com
