The Speaker of Parliament, Professor Aaron Mike Oquaye, has charged Members of Parliament (MPs) to take business of the House seriously, as the country heads into the 2020 polls.
Coupled with their campaigns for reelection, the Speaker reminded the MPs that this session, the last of the seventh Parliament of the fourth Republic, would be demanding.
In his address to welcome the House from recess, in Accra yesterday, Prof. Oquaye urged the lawmakers not to allow partisan politics to interfere in the discharge of their parliamentary duties.
“Since we are in an election year, l will implore, that you do not allow undue intervention into this House by the politicking that sometimes go on outside.
“We must maintain the dignity and decorum of this noble House. May the Almighty God grant us the strength and the willpower for us to work together and leave a legacy for prosperity,” the Speaker prayed.
The Minority Leader, Haruna Iddrisu, said this year would be a very critical one for Ghana as the world turns its attention to the country to once again lead the way in entrenching democracy on the African continent.
To him, the 2020 elections would be a litmus test for Ghana and that “we will be subjected to a critical test.”
Mr Iddrisu, who is also Tamale South MP, called on stakeholders in the electioneering ‘chain’, including the Electoral Commission, the security services and the media, to be fair in the discharge of their duties, to ensure that the December polls were free, fair, and transparent.
He asked his colleague MPs to let the wellbeing of their constituents and the Ghanaian people be their paramount guiding principle.
Mr Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, the Majority Leader, urged that the campaign for the 2020 elections, must be of ideas and not verbal attacks on personalities.
“Let’s watch our tongues in and out of Parliament so as to provide effective leadership for our people. Let’s be charitable to ourselves,” he said.
To remain a parliamentarian is a choice of the constituents, the Majority Leader, who is also the Suame MP, said it was important that many MPs were retained to serve memory for the House.
The House, as part of its itinerary for the meeting, is expected to pass bills including the Legal Profession (Amendment) Bill, Intestate Succession Bill, Office of the Special Prosecutor (Amendment) Bill and the Ghana Communication Technology University Bill amongst others.
Twenty others, including the Affirmative Action Bill, Rent (Amendment) Bill, Ghana Petroleum Hub Development Corporation Bill and the Community Water and Sanitation Agency (Amendment) Bill are expected to be presented to the House.
BY JULIUS YAO PETETSI
