News:
Minority Leader Hon Haruna Iddrisu
May 25, 2022
Member of Parliament for Tamale South Mr. Haruna Iddrisu on Tuesday, May 24, 2022 gave an overview of Ghana’s Parliament when an eight (8) member delegation from the Republic of Zambia on benchmarking tour called on the Speaker of Ghana’s Parliament Rt. Hon Alban Kingsford Sumana Bagbin.
Members of the Zambia National Assembly Standing Orders Committee were led by their Speaker Rt. Hon Ms Nelly Mutti MP. Other members were Leader of the Opposition Brain Mundubile MP, Majority Whip Stafford Mulusa MP, Machila Jamba MP, Nickson Chilangwa MP, and Jacqueline Sabao MP and other parliamentary supporting staffs.
The Minority Leader pointed out to the delegation that in Ghana at the start of very Parliament, a speaker is elected and one who qualifies to be a Speaker should qualify to be a Member of Parliament and if you are an MP and elected a speaker you have to resign your position as an MP.
Again, Ghana’s constitution is a fusion of mix based on the West Minister and the American Executive presidential system and Article 78 of the 1992 Republican Constitution allows the president to constitute a government among members of Parliament. Fifty percent of Ministers shall come from Parliament and appointing authority of Ministers of states is vested in the president. In Ghana the Speaker of Parliament chairs the Standing Order Committee and the Speaker is assisted by two Deputy Speakers.
“We have an interesting Supreme Court ruling you might have read that Deputy Speaker presiding has a casting vote, the Rt. Hon Speaker sent me on an assignment to India over there the Deputy Speaker does not have a voting right whiles presiding”. Mr. Iddrisu further told the Zambia delegation the President of the Republic of Ghana in consultation with the judicial council appoints judges to the Supreme Court, Appeals and High courts.
In Parliament the Business Committee programmes activities for the ensuing week which is chaired by the Leader of Government Business and there is a Select Committee which reflects the various sectorial Ministries. There are some decisions of the House that requires simple majority whiles others require two third majority. In the case of regulation being brought to the House a parent Act must come to the House 21 working days.
Also, in the case of rejecting a business of the House, it requires two third majority endorsement in the House. On government borrow, it has to come to the floor of the House for approval as stipulated under Article 181 clause 1 to 5 of the 1992 constitution.
Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com