Ghana’s representative on the Ad Hoc Committee tasked by the Rt. Hon Speaker of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Parliament to draw a road map to elect lawmakers directly, Clement Kofi Humado, hopes the issue of direct election would feature in the upcoming first 2021 Extraordinary Session to be held in Freetown, Sierra Leone this month.
According to him the Committee at the last virtual meeting presented its report, but there was not much interaction on the matter and believes if it had been a physical meeting, MPs would have contributed much to the report.
“I am looking forward that this meeting, this issue would come up, it is the right way to go and we just have to push it”. Adding that he knows some individuals think advocating for it means that person is pushing for his or her own demise.
He noted in an interview on the subject matter that, for the sake of the West African sub-region election of Community lawmakers, “we need to do that and I am looking forward for the reactivation of this matter”.
On the issue of having physical contact meetings in the wake of the vaccine found against COVID-19, he noted that by now most of the ECOWAS MPs should have taken their first jab of the vaccine depending on the country.
And further added that, he knows not all the countries within the sub-region were able to take their allocation from the World Health organisation.
He also suggests that lawmakers would have to go to the meeting with their COVID-19 test results, and hoping for the best in the upcoming meeting. “We just have to be bold in having these physical meetings”.
The Community Parliament would hold its first Extraordinary Session and seminar from March 23, to April 2, 2021 in Sierra Leone on the theme, “Involvement of members of the ECOWAS Parliament in monitoring the implementation of the protocol relating to the community levy”
Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com