Speaker Bagbin: There is no rest for an MP

Speaker of Parliament, Right Hon. Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin, has observed that, a Member of Parliament (MP) like the Medical Practitioner, has no rest.

He has subsequently urged MPs to size themselves up and prepare for hard work and long sitting hours this second meeting of the House.

“It is true, like the Medical Practitioner, there is no rest for an MP. This meeting promises to be very busy. Apart from seeing to an early passage of the new standing orders of the Parliament of Ghana, the House is expected to consider and pass into law, a number of important bills”, he told MPs.

The Rt. Hon Speaker made this observation in his welcome address to the MPs at the commencement of the second meeting of the First Session of the 8th Parliament of the 4th Republic Last Tuesday, May 25, 2021, in Parliament House.

He pointed out that the bills to be passed included, the Petroleum Management (Amendment) Bill, 20201; the Supplementary Appropriation Bill, 2020; the Exemptions Bill 2021 and a number of private members bills whilst “we anxiously await the presentation of the all – important Affirmative Action Bill. The latest information has it that it is before cabinet”, he stated.

According to the Speaker, some private members motions and international agreements, treaties and conventions also await the consideration of the House.

STRESSFUL BUT HEALTHY PERIODS

Rt. Hon Bagbin stated that the House adjourned sine die on March 20th, 2021. He said that from experience, he knew these recesses to be very stressful but healthy. Periods in an MP’s life, pointing out that these are not sedentary moments but agile and mobile Johnny Walker seasons, where MPs visit constituents.

He was of the view that the visits to the communities and people had exposed MPs to a lot more of the reality of the ordinary Ghanaian and thus humbled and prepared them to better represent the interest of the people and the nation in Parliament.

PERIOD OF PRAYER AND SUPPLICATION

The Speaker pointed out that this particular recess was also a period of prayer and supplication; a period of deep reflection and introspection as the nation went through fasting and communication with God during the Easter and Ramadan seasons.

“Ghana is a spiritual and overly religious country. I pray that God heard and answered our prayers and supplications and thus changed us to be better leaders. I pray He will also grant us good health, open and good hearts to listen to each other with the intent to understand and not to reply to the Facebook being delivered. We should always remember that we cannot fix ourselves by breaking someone else!” he prayed.

OVERSIGHT DUTIES

Rt. Hon. A.S.K Bagbin indicated that during the recess, he approved the request of a number of committees to reach out to some regions and state institutions to perform oversight duties. These included the committees of Local Government and Rural Development, Environment, Science and Technology, as well as Works and Housing, as they visited various regions of the country to inspect some projects and also interacted with public officials and sections of society. Also, the Public Accounts Committee had sessions with the Sector Ministries, Commissions, Agencies and Departments under their jurisdiction. He subsequently commended the leaderships and members of these committees for their tenacity of purpose, while calling on other committees to do same.

By S. O. Ankamah