News:
February 10, 2020
Debate on direct representation of lawmakers in the Community Parliament became critical topic and heated up before the life span of the fourth legislature ended February 3, 2020.
Member of Parliament for Effutu constituency in Ghana and a member of the fourth Community Legislature, Alexander Kwabena Afenyo-Markin is advocating for the European Parliament model where lawmakers are elected to represent their people.
“MPs should be directly elected. There should be a system where you are a Community Parliamentarian and not a National Parliamentarian that would give them a full time commitment”.
In an interview he noted that he has been of the view not to spend so much time coming for meetings at the Community Parliament at the expense of his constituents, hence the need to adopt the EU Parliamentary style.
“I am coming from Effutu and there is an emergency I have to go back, you can come and spend all your time at the Community Parliament and it is not all that engaging, it is a whole new story. I agree for us to look at exploring the avenue of election”.
On his view on how best to deal with the relationship between the Community Parliament and the Commission, he noted that it is a matter of agreeing to the frame work, “I do not see any struggle between the two institutions”.
“If we put the frame wok together and it is strengthened and we have a template to follow there should not be a problem at all”.
Mr. Afenyo-Markin further emphasised that Parliament means a debate and there should be engagement and accommodation of dissenting views, let us show that in the Community Parliament.
Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/ghanamps.com/Banjul