Another step that needs to be taken is to expand the scope of interaction on Parliament’s online media platforms, especially the website. The online pages are usually alive with very critical comments on debates of national interest, and it is a testimony of the interest that Ghanaians have developed in the business of the Legislature. The House can leverage on this interest by creating an interface on the website for collecting public inputs into the business of the House.
The websites of many countries all over the world have become the flagship for reaching out to their citizens and sampling their opinions on the very critical businesses before them. For instance, the website of the Parliament of the Republic of South Africa has an interface titled “Have Your Say” that is purposely for receiving inputs from the public. E-petitions and memoranda on various businesses are presented by the public through this platform and passed on to the committees or functionaries on whose laps they sit. On its part, the Parliament of Kenya has on its website an interface titled “Get Involved”, and citizens have the opportunity to petition both the National Assembly and the Senate, even urging them to enact, amend or repeal some legislations.
The Parliament of Ghana should take a cue from best practices in other parliaments to encourage citizens’ participation in the work of Parliament. Online fora could be established to open up the exchange of information with citizens, even on various businesses before the House. To make such exchanges fruitful, Parliament should consider appointing an online monitor to collect, process and table relevant views to the appropriate quarters.
USE OF MULTIPLE
LANGUAGES
At age 30, the time is ripe for Parliament to introduce a multilingual platform for deliberations in the House. To discriminate positively against linguistically – challenged persons, according to section 33 of the Declaration on Opening Parliament, is making room for members of parliament to use multiple national or working languages in debates. Thank God, even though the official language of Ghana is English, Standing Order 47 of the House make provision for the use of seven other dominant indigenous languages notably: Akan; Nzema; Ga; Ewe; Hausa; Dagbani and Dagaare, “or any other local language”.
The only condition precedent to using such alternative native languages is that there should be facilities for their interpretation. The Declaration reinforces this caveat by calling upon parliaments in such a situation to “make every reasonable effort to provide for the simultaneous interpretation of proceedings and rapid translation” of members’ contributions into the official language.In other words, while honourable members may use any of the alternative languages, their contributions would be published in the Official Report on the proceedings of the House in the official language When conditions are created for our representatives to address the House in such indigenous languages, they are empowered to better advocate for their constituents. It also gives them the opportunity to reach out to the numerous Ghanaians who are not proficient in the use of the English Language. Beyond these linguistic advantages, the introduction of indigenous languages into parliamentary debates would convey the very essence of being Ghanaian to the larger world. Attaining three scores in the democratic world is coming of age, and there is no better proof of this than for our elected representatives to advocate for us in our own languages. The time for the Parliament of Ghana to operationalise this provision in its Standing Orders is now. Other aspects of parliamentary business including the opening prayer read by the Speaker, the oaths taken by honourable Members could all be translated into the seven indigenous languages. The Presiding Officer or honourable Members could read the preferred alternative whenever it is convenient.
POSITIVE
DISCRIMINATION
Another measure for deepening representation that is worth considering, apart from boosting information circulation and communication, is the deliberate and automatic consideration of minority or vulnerable groups in any participation process. Positive discrimination as it is usually referred to, is a major issue for consideration for parliamentary reforms the world over, and it may take many forms. The best practice guidelines recommended by the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) for deepening parliamentary democracy for instance calls for “special efforts” to be made by parliaments to “to ensure that more marginalised citizens and groups are able to make their voices heard in parliaments. The groups mentioned in the Guidelines include women, persons with disabilities, the youth, ethnic groups and persons who are linguistically challenged.
Indeed, a prominent call by the proponents of affirmative action all over the world is for the deliberate reservation of special seats for women in legislatures and other government institutions. Generally speaking, the proportion of parliamentarians who are women in Ghana is has increased over time, though the proportion to that of the men is still very low, especially when looked at against the population distribution of women against men in the country. Would this make a case for reserving seats for women in our Parliament? How about the representation of persons with disability, the youth and other vulnerable or specialised groups in the country? The answer should not be offered by a newspaper article like this one. There is the need for a national debate on this.
BY HAROLD WILSON HUBERT
