The Standing Committee of the Council of State led by its Chairman, Nana Otuo Siriboe, has met with the Majority leader, Osei Kyei Mensah Bonsu, and leadership of the Majority Caucus of Parliament to see ways in which the Council can interact with both sides of the House to quell the current acrimony through consensus.
The meeting with the Majority Caucus was a follow-up to a previous meeting between the Council and the Minority Caucus on February 23, on the same agenda of rallying both sides to work in harmony.
Addressing members at the meeting yesterday in Accra, Nana Otuo Siriboe said inauguration of the 8th Parliament has brought many unpalatable happenings and somehow dented the honourable image of the House, adding: “There have been lots of acrimony, confusion and sometimes fisticuffs, which is not good”.
These happenings, he said, does not reflect the credentials of Ghana as the beacon of democracy in the sub-region and on the continent.
“This is the 8th Parliament of the 4th Republic. All seven previous Parliaments have performed with enviable records and lots of credit – it is not proper to see these good records go down the drain,” he advised.
He said Parliament is an awesome institution, but the current situation – which is getting awful – must not be exacerbated further.
“The country stands to lose a lot if Parliamentary work is distracted,” Nana Otuo Siriboe added.
Responding to concerns of the Chairman, Majority Leader Osei Kyei Mensah Bonsu said recent occurrences in the House of Parliament have brought the hard-won image of Ghana into disrepute, and also lowered Parliament’s esteem as a shining star in Africa.
“Through our own commissions and omissions, we are bringing down the image of Parliament conversely to the experience that I and the Speaker have gathered through our long stay in the House,” Mr. Bonsu said.
“We have come to the realisation that we cannot overcome these things if we are sincere with ourselves,” Mr. Bonsu noted, explaining, “There are many actors which have contributed to these rather tragic situations”.
He commended the Council of State for the initiative to engage and foster cohesion among all sides of the House toward a harmonious working relationship.
The Council of State, in its consensus building, will also engage the Speaker of Parliament today March 1, 2022, and later engage the two Deputy-Speakers before finally meeting all sides of the House to see the way forward.
