In a quest to enhance responsiveness towards its oversight functions, Ghana’s Parliament is in the process to establish a new committee to be known as “Parliamentary Assurances Committee.
A seven member technical working group established by the Speaker of Parliament is recommending the establishment of the new “Parliamentary Assurances Committee” with an objective to serve as a self-regulatory measure to help the legislature in the conduct of its own internal functions.
The proposed Assurances committee will be expected to track all promises, plans, and directives by the Speaker to committees among other responsibilities.
The 7 member technical working group is made up of three (3) members of Parliament namely Kwasi Ameyaw Cheremeh, Majority Chief Whip and Member of Parliament for Sunyani East, Yaw Buaben Asamoa, Member of Parliament for Adentan and Mohammed Mubarak Muntaka, Member of Parliament for Asawase and four (4) others who are non- members of Parliament.
The working group is currently seeking inputs from stakeholders and the general public to effectively streamline the mandate of Parliament through the proposed committee which would operate in a similar fashion as the Government Assurances Committee but focus on the legislature by tracking assurances given on the floor of Parliament by the lawmakers and Committees and ensure their effective implementation.
Majority Chief Whip, Ameyaw Cheremeh who is the chairman of the technical working committee said this new committee explained that the proposed committee is different from Government Assurances Committee in many ways.
The working group’s mandate he said is to explore the possibility of setting up the committee and advice the Speaker and Parliament accordingly as part of general reforms by Parliament.
“The parliament of Ghana under the leadership of the Speaker … is instituting a number of reforms to restore public confidence and enhance the image and dignity of parliament.
“Currently, you may be aware that parliament is reviewing its Standing Orders and strategic plans to meet the challenges of the changing times and also to perform these cardinal functions more effectively.
“As part of the reforms, there is also the need for self-regulatory mechanisms to ensure that parliament does things in the right way to improve service delivery, accountability, and responsiveness to citizens.
When eventually established, the committee is expected to help restore the image of parliament and make members effective in their legislative duties.
“In this regard, its being proposed that a Parliamentary Assurances Committee be established. To take this forward, a working group has been put in place to solicit views from key stakeholders on how parliament can work more effectively and work towards ensuring that the image and dignity of parliament are protected and maintained” Mr Kyremeh stated.
The stakeholder engagement process is supported by Star Ghana Foundation.
By Christian/ghanamps.com
