Book Launch: The Legislative System of Ghana

A book on Ghana’s Legislative System, authored by Dr. Ernest Darfour, has been launched to provide readers with the proper historical antecedents; relevant academic and political perspectives; as well as the social, cultural and traditional underpinnings of Ghana’s system.

The launch ceremony under the Chairmanship of the First Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Joseph Osei Owusu, held at the Foyer of Parliamentary Chamber, brought together very senior members of the Parliamentary Service, as well as a very rich representation of the leadership of Parliament, among others.

Ghana’s Fourth Republican Legislative System is a very unique one which combines both the Parliamentary and the Executive Systems, and blends them into a new creation of its own.

This hybrid system which is personal to Ghana and which has been practiced in the West African country for close to three decades, has got its own strengths and weaknesses; admirers and critics among others.

A Senior Assistant Clerk with the Parliament of Ghana, Dr. Ernest Darfour has researched and documented all these experiences of the Legislative systems in the Fourth Republican Constitutional era and the ones that have existed before it and put them into proper perspectives, in a book titled, “The Legislative System of Ghana”.

The book has received the endorsement of very key members of the current and previous Parliaments who have played significant roles in shaping Ghana’s Legislative system over the years.

For instance, the Speaker of the 8th Parliament of Ghana, Rt. Hon. Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin, who wrote the foreword for the book, indicated that the book was a,” Groundbreaking masterpiece on the legislative system of the Fourth Republican Parliament of Ghana.”

Dr. Benjamin Kumbour, Dr. Aggrey Darko, Mr. Emmanuel Djitror and Hon. Vincent Assafuah on High table

Former Majority Leader, Hon. Benjamin Kunbour, former Minister of Defence and Senior Lecturer at the University of Ghana School of Law, on his part indicated that,

“This study is well researched and presented in a very lucid form… Indeed, it is a very useful source for students, parliamentarians and academics on the parliamentary history, procedure and practice of Ghana’s Parliament.”

Dr. Ernest Darfour is a Senior Assistant Clerk with over 15 years of experience working with the Parliamentary Service of Ghana. He has served as Assistant Clerk on numerous committees of Parliament including the Committees on Local Government and Rural Development; Foreign Affairs; Government Assurances; Education; Employment, Social Welfare and State Enterprises.

The others are: Communications; Members holding Offices of Profit; and the Special Committee on the alleged Bribery Allegations against the Chairman and Members of the Appointment Committee chaired by Hon. Joe Ghartey.

Ernest holds a PhD in Legislative Studies from the Center for Legislative Studies at the University of Hull; a Master’s degree in Public Administration – International Development from the University of York; and a Master of Science degree in International Relations from the Royal Holloway University of London, all in the United Kingdom. Dr. Darfour is a graduate of the University of Ghana with a First Class Honours in Political Science and Philosophy.

Source: Clement Akoloh||parliamentnews360.com