Author: Kwaku GhanaMPs

To achieve a gender balanced Legislature, Member of Parliament for Krowor, Naa Momo Agnes Lartey said the political parties have a role to play in this as we have most governments talk about it but do not walk the talk.

“Most people do not show political commitment towards gender inclusiveness, if we do not have the commitment and it becomes always talk-shop it would not help us, is like taking a step forward and two steps backwards”. In an interview she noted that you would not be making progress and the political parties have a major role to play when it comes to some of these things,saying as a nation an affirmative action would be good for us as a nation.
She further pointed out that, the way internal parliamentary primaries are structured and organized do not help women following the keen competition that is involved, given the fact that women have to compete with men with the challenge of most of the women coming from the background of being in the informal sector and the care given roles of women, you find a woman taking care of the home from the informal sector you still have to use some of the resources taking care of the home – parents, in- laws, husband and children.

At the end of the day, building wealth for women is a much long and tedious task of that of the men there is the need to start with the political parties, if you look at it critically there is the need for commitment.“I was sharing with a colleague, we have not passed the affirmative action bill that is another step we need to take to show commitment. Mr. Speaker has spoken about it and pointed out that he is looking forward to passing it by the close of the lifespan of the current eighth parliament”.

And it is left for them to advocate and keep pushing for it and bring colleagues who do not understand it on board. It is a corrective measure to bring men and women together at the same level to run an equal race, that is the only way to ensure development at a very fast pace, she stated.

“There is the need for affirmative action where we should have women contesting women, where there are safe seats in our strongest constituencies – be it in the Volta for the NDC should be for women this time and NPP in the Ashanti Region on women this time, so that we have a kind of rotation. In the case of Ghana now, we have under fifteen percent women representation in the parliament, she said.

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The Member of Parliament for Ketu South, Dzifa Abla Gomashie has indicated that if there is anything she can do to see more women in the next parliament, she is more than willing to do. The 8th Parliament of Ghana has less than fifteen (15) percent female representation, with both political parties – the National Democratic Congress, and the New Patriotic Party providing 20 female MPs each.
But Madam Gomashie believes the situation could be better, and emphasised that available and research data has proven that there are more women in Ghana than men; “I do not believe it’s because the women are not willing, it’s because we do not have the resources and the encouragement”. In an interview in Rwanda Kigali at the just ended 145th Assembly of the Inter Parliamentary Union (IPU), she pointed out that she would champion any day anytime empowerment of women; and she is now more comforted because there are a lot more people pushing other women, encouraging them that they can do it.

The 145th Assembly was on the theme, “Gender equality and gender-sensitive parliaments as drivers of change for a more resilient and peaceful world”. She further noted that the political parties are trying; for example women are made to pay half what the men pay, it is a good step but she is sure we can go further, as some have called for preserving those who are already in and make sure they add more.
Again, some have called for some safe seats for both major parties in parliament, so these things are encouraging but we need to firm some up, adding that in the one and a half years that she has been in parliament, “one thing that has pressed my bubbles is the gender ministry and what we could do with them has not happened”.

But she is hopeful in the next sitting they should be able to make some inroads now that we have new nominees to occupy those positions, hopefully they would be able to help them catch up. “We really have lost time especially with the affirmative action bill for example, the spousal bill, these have all delayed because people to push it were not there and all of these put together will help us achieve our aim”, she emphasised.

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Member of Parliament (MP) for Krowor Naa Momo Agnes Lartey has expressed worry that if nothing is done drastically, the next Parliament of the Republic of Ghana – the 9th Parliament, the number of females might decrease. Current the two major political parties have twenty (20) seats each out of the two hundred and seventy-five seats (275) which represent less that fifteen (15) percent.

The Krowor lawmaker said this in an interview at the just ended 145th Inter Parliamentary Union (IPU) Assembly in Rwanda which was on the theme, “gender equality and gender-sensitive parliaments as drivers of change for a more resilient and peaceful world”. She added that the number of Female Parliamentarians would not increase automatically, “what I know for sure is that it can decrease if nothing is done and nothing has changed, competition is going to be very keen, both side of the House would be going for their primaries. I believe next year it’s going to be very keen”.

She pointed out that as MPs they spend so much resources that they don’t even have, whiles those who would be contesting them are gathering resources down ahead of their primaries. She said as MPs it is always their hope and desire to leave a mark in the constituencies through their work and one has to depend on their personal resources in most cases.

“So after the elections, it is my prayer and very honest prayer that most women would come back so that the number we have now in the House as forty remains or even higher. We would be able to add on to the number rather than decrease it other than that is going to be like this same trend” As they have fewer women being able to retain their seats and more men retaining their seats, so women’s experience in the House would be few every time they need to change candidates except for those areas that are safe seats.“I do not think we should just seat down and wish the number of seats for women should just increase, women everywhere in the country who have the intention of being in parliament need to take a step”. But the fact is most female MPs are tired of the talk shops; we are tired, we need pragmatic steps that would help us. Women should contest themselves that is fair and those who would be contesting and would be successful they are given the needed support and complement but not always workshop and nothing.

Yes we need the workshop and knowledge to be able to psych ourselves up as not everybody has that knowledge but beyond that, donors should know it’s not only enough to leave it at the workshop, “we need more action on the ground and also look at political party financing where there would be quota for women to be supported when we are contesting; I think we need to move a step further”, she said.

The Krowor MP further thanked the Rt. Hon Alban Kingsford Sumana Bagbin, Minority Leader Haruna Iddrisu and Majority Leader Osei-Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu for the opportunity offered her and other females colleagues in all four females, four males. They incluse Member of Parliament for Ketu South Dzifa Abla Gomashie, Mfantseman MP Ophelia Mensah and Asoka MP Patricia Appiagyei. Lleadership, she said has proven to be gender sensitive, it’s not just by word of mouth but looking forward to the interest of women.

Rt. Hon Speaker is actually walking the talk and to her this is a good example and also thanked leadership of both sides of the House for the opportunity they have given them as their first time but hopefully she believe would not be their last time, “it has been quite insightful”, she stated. According to her, the whole 145th Assembly focused on building a gender focus parliaments, and “if that is what they are going to do across the world, the leaders need to show by example, and the delegation that came to Rwanda need to ensure that women were included.

“My learning has been enriched here, when I get another opportunity the participation is going to be more active than it is here now”, she noted.

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Member of Parliament (MP) for Tolon, Habib Iddrisu said young parliamentarians in Ghana’s legislature have proven their worth in the current eighth (8) Parliament and it’s only right that Ghanaians appreciate this and give them the opportunity to serve.

“I am one of them under forty and a leader in Parliament; there are a lot of people who are young but deputy ministers, Samuel Abu Jinapor who is a Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Francis Asenso-Boakye and others, they have been able to prove themselves, by handling themselves very well. Therefore justifying why they were selected, if you look at the set up in Parliament you would notice the young people are doing very well”.

He made this remarks in an interview where he participated in the just ended young parliamentarians’ forum in Rwanda Kigali at the 145th Assembly of the Inter Parliamentary Union where he was selected to be part of the organizing Committee of the forum. According to him a careful look at the demography in Ghana, young people are within the ages of 18, 40 and 45 as they constitute sixty-eight (68) percent of those who voted in the 2020 elections which means; “we have a voice and we need to encourage political parties especially the front-line political parties in parliament to be able to come out with a mechanism and policy to be able to support the youth.

I know that for the NPP with the opening of nomination if you are under 40 applying for nomination to file, you pay fifty percent of the amount”. The Tolon MP further noted that, he thinks more needs to be done, so that for instance – constituencies would be earmarked that, “we need this number of young ones and every political party should prepare a young person under forty (40). If both parties NPP and NDC want to win they should present candidates under forty and that would help us.
Touching on his participation at young parliamentary forum, he noted that Ghana has equally young MPs but the only thing is that they are not many and if the youth can be encouraged to participate in politics, then there would be more representation in parliament. He pointed out that whiles at IPU in Rwanda, he came across colleagues MP who are aged nineteen (19), twenty one (21) twenty-two (22) who are all members of Parliament representing various countries and constituencies.

And also added that there is a similar young age Member of Parliament (MP) for Kwabre East Francisca Oteng-Mensah and as much as more women participation is being encouraged, same support should be extended to young people. “It does not limit you to only the males, if you are young and a woman, you are still within the bracket. Today we presented the report of the young parliamentarians, we were talking about say yes to youth in parliament. We had a campaign, we were looking for hundred people to endorse it; we ended up getting three hundred people and that campaign is something we need to carry out in Ghana and encourage young people. Political parties should be able to protect young people that they can have a representation in Ghana”.

And the theme of the Assembly which has to do with gender and we should encourage the gender sensitive aspect of it. There are other African countries who are learning from this. In Tanzania there are forty seats mainly for women that only women would contest those seats. In Ghana both major parties have 20:20 seats in Parliament. But in Tanzania, women are allowed to contest all available seats, and if you win, you win on your merit; but there are still forty seats reserved for women.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com /Rwanda/Kigali

Majority Leader in Ghana’s Parliament said the country is struggling with numbers to make up the thirty per cent female representation as currently in Ghana’s Parliament there are fourteen percent which the country should not be happy about as reiterated by the Speaker Rt. Hon Alban Kingsford Bagbin at the 145th Assembly of the IPU in Rwanda Kigali.

According to him the highest representation Ghana has attained was twenty percent female representation in Parliament as most countries are unable to achieve thirty percent representation, during election unless they result to proportional representation. He however, questioned if it were enough to allow the president to appoint female representatives to positions to make up for the number, as suggested by some people. According to him, that certainly is not the best of system, adding that people result to that just to appease the system to have women represented in parliament?”

He further pointed out that in such cases, do they represent themselves or the people, is another matter because, “democracy is representational and not for individual and themselves within parliament?” He made this remarks on Thursday, in Rwanda Kigali when the Speaker of the Namibian Parliament paid a courtesy call on the Speaker of Ghana’s Parliament and added that various Committee’s in Ghana’s Parliament are trying to have women even as the numbers are not too much.

“We trying to have women in composing delegations, speaker would always say include a woman from your side of the House and the other side to IPU and other international parliamentary institution would want to see women representation otherwise we are denied some votes “. Again, per the standing orders Committees are not proactive because, if the speaker does not refer matters to them they cannot act on them.

“We are on recess now and the raining season is on in Ghana because of that there might be outbreak of cholera. Committee in parliament proactively cannot go out there to go and investigate it. We have to wait until parliament resumes and a statement made on that account of which the speaker would give a referral, certainly not good to strengthen parliament”. And submission of reports from the constitutional creatures as the Namibia Speaker mentioned, EC ombudsman, commission for human right and administrative justice parliament and the judiciary itself how do we receive their reports? “By our own arrangements reports of these bodies are submitted to parliament via the Majority Leader”.

Again, he is the Minister for Parliamentary Affairs, “I do not do so in my capacity as Minister for Parliamentary Affairs but do so as Majority Leader, just so that the report that comes cannot be ducted by the Majority leader they are received by the clerk to parliament and the clerk through his deputies to the table office”. These reports have come for the avoidance of doubt, he should bring a copy to me then we take it to the business committee to prgramme for laying in the house then referred to the appropriate committees for consideration, and report back to the plenary but not through the office of the Speaker, and it’s the clerk who keep all records, mine is to bring it to the business committee to be programmed.

By the constitution parliament is not given that financial autonomy, it is the judiciary and the Auditor General that are given the financial autonomy not even the EC, “we think that the EC requires this, parliament as an arm of government just as the judiciary should have that financial autonomy”. And progress has been made. It started second term of former president John Kuffuor which has continued; we do not send our budget to the finance minister, but to the president directly, we have now passed an amendment act to that effect.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com/Rwanda/Kigali