Re: Where Is Alban Bagbin?

There is an article in circulation with the above caption attributed to one P. K Sarpong and dated Monday, 16th April, 2024.

Mr PK Sarpong, a die-hard member of the disappointing New Patriotic Party (NPP) government, sought through the article to blame the Rt. Hon Speaker of Parliament for the inability of the House to approve Ministerial Nominees presented by Nana Addo Danquah Akufo-Addo.

In furtherance to the blame game he questioned the judgement and patriotism of no mean a person but Rt. Hon Alban Bagbin who has distinguished himself in his chosen political career as a Member of Parliament and as Speaker of the Eighth Parliament of the 4th Republic of Ghana.

Times without number, such baseless and unwarranted criticisms of the Speaker of Parliament by partisan aparatchicks has drawn spirited responses to establish and emphasize the wealth of experience, commitment and dedication of Rt Hon Alban Bagbin as far as Ghana’s Fourth Republican Democratic dispensation is concerned.

How plausible is it for PK Sarpong and his ilk to shout to the high heavens in their blame of the Speaker for the delay in the approval of the Ministerial Nominees but go mute and quite over the conduct of the Supreme Court which is seen by many as bias and selective?

With all intents and purposes, the Speaker did not ambush the Executive or the general public with any decision to stay the approval Akufo-Addo’s nominees.  For the record, Mr Speaker spoke loud and clear on the floor of the House announcing the decision as well as the reason for the decision.

Does Mr PK Sarpong need to be reminded that Parliament is a master of its own rules? In the formal statement of the Rt Hon Speaker, he also adjourned the House indefinitely. As a house of rules, if there is the urgent need for the House to reconvene to consider any urgent matters, the Leadership of the House and by extention the Members of Parliament know too well what to do under the ccircumstance. Until that is done, the Speaker of Parliament cannot be cited for dereliction of duty or for deliberately frustrating government business.

This is the same Speaker who received a lot of backlash from his own Party the NDC for superintending over parliamentary business that were seen to favour the ruling government on many occasions. This was to the chagrin of the rank and file of the NDC, some of whom used unpalatable and unprintable words against the Speaker.

For the historic hung parliament that we have today, it has so far taken the firmness, fairness, boldness and courage of the vastly experienced Rt Hon Alban Bagbin to oversee the smooth conduct of parliamentary business to facilitate government business. It is just unfortunate that the government continues to find non-existent fault for its own failures and disappointments.

As co-equal organs of state, Mr PK Sarpong should entreat the Judiciary to expedite action for hearing on the two ssuit filed against the Presidential Assent to the Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill passed by Parliament. Mr Sarpong should equally prevail on the Secretary of the President to withdraw, with an apology, the intimidating letter he wrote to the Clerk to Parliament.

In fact, it is important to state that no President has ever set the Executive on a collision course with the Legislature until Akufo-Addo became president. The 1992 Constitution is clear on the structure of the harmonious relationship between the three organs of state. However, the autocratic and overbearing Nana Addo as president has managed to draw a wedge that is threatening the effective and efficient functioning of state.

If there is anyone to take blame for the ugly spectacle involving the Executive and Legislature it should be President Akufo-Addo who as a lawyer should have averred his mind to Article 106 (8) (a) and (b) of the 1992 Constitution when he thought it inappropriate to receive and to assent to the Human Rights and Family Values Bill 2021 passed by Parliament.

Rather, he extended his tyranny and stranglehold of the New Patriotic Party to the Parliament of Ghana by instructing his Secretary to write to the Clerk to Parliament to cease and desist from presenting the bill to the President, a constitutional duty assigned to him by the Constitution of the Republic.

If Mr PK Sarpong is seeking to apportion blame, it should be at the doorsteps of President Akufo-Addo and not the Rt. Hon Speaker of Parliament.

Awudu Ishaq

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