Prioritise dialogue to resolve impasse – Parliamentary Network Africa to Majority

Clement Akoloh, the Communications Officer for Parliamentary Network Africa, has urged the Majority caucus in Parliament to prioritise dialogue and cooperation with their Minority counterparts to address the impasse regarding which party has the right to occupy the right-hand side of the Speaker during parliamentary proceedings.

According to Mr. Akoloh, reaching a consensus through engagement would be far more productive than taking the matter to the Supreme Court for resolution.

Mr. Akoloh gave the advice during an appearance on The Big Issue on

 Channel One TV on Saturday, October 26.

Given the unprecedented dynamics of the 8th Parliament, he stressed that the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) would be better served by building collaborative bridges with the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC).

He explained that unlike the 7th Parliament, where the NPP held a clear and comfortable majority, the current Parliament presents far more balanced numbers and requires collaboration.

Mr. Akoloh emphasised that clinging to old approaches, which assumed an unassailable majority, is no longer viable in the current parliamentary set-up.

He also stressed the importance of dialogue over judicial intervention in settling parliamentary disputes and indicated that going to the Supreme Court to determine procedural issues such as seating arrangements may set a precedent that limits Parliament’s ability to manage its own affairs.

“They [the NPP] had a good majority in Parliament where they were able to do things where whatever comes through Parliament gets the nod and goes because they had Majority and they do not have the need to consult the other side and therefore that kind of mentality still reigns.

“The majority side, which is Afenyo-Markin’s side, I was thinking that they see through some of these things and then come up with ways to bring the other side along and if the Majority side who have a lot of work to do in parliament do not reach out to the Minority on a consensus basis, then we will be having this challenge.”

Source:channel1news.com