Concern over low public perception for MPS

Ho (V/R), May 2, GNA - Mr Ken Dzirasah, Member of Parliament (MP) for North Tongu, has expressed regret over some public perception that members of Parliament were nobodies and the urged Ghanaians to accord Parliament the due respect to ensure effective democratic governance.

"I regret to state that there is a pervading public opinion that Parliament is composed basically of little known basic school teachers, who have somersaulted into the public eye by stroke electoral fortunes and who deserve to be treated like just any public or civil servant.

"You and I know that in the House there are many distinguished and very knowledgeable individuals with immense experience in diverse professional fields, some of whom have left very lucrative opportunities in order to represent the interest of their people," Mr Dzirasah told members of the Parliamentary Press Corps at a workshop on: The Role of the Media in Sustaining Parliamentary Democracy" at Ho in the Volta Region.

The workshop was organised by the Canadian Parliamentary Centre and forms part of the Centre's Parliamentary Support Project aimed at strengthening the capacity of Ghana's Parliament to ensure accountability, parliamentary governance with particular attention to poverty reduction.

Mr Dzirasah said most MPs came to Parliament only to find out that they had no offices and had to hang along corridors to transact official and private businesses.

The Member, who spoke on: "Building the Image of the Legislature as an Independent Institution", said when an MP after a long sitting was caught napping by the cameras it was brought conspicuously on the national television.

"When the MP is granted a loan to purchase a means of transport with which to conduct his official duties, the media leads a crusade of condemnation."

He asked for the media's indulgence and circumspection in dealing with the Legislature, saying comments like "Parliament's day of shame" should be made sparingly since they tended to bring the House into disrepute and sometimes mobilized public opinion against it. He said 24 of the nearly 50 years of independence had been a period without a formal Legislature, during which time the Executive branch of Government had strengthened itself by usurping the legislative functions of Parliament.

"The perception that the legislature is dispensable which gained credence through Executive usurpation of the legislative authority, got so engraved in the psyche of the political leadership that even under constitutional rule where the three arms of government are expected to enjoy mutual respect from each other, some Ministers of State have thought and do still think that it is a favour being done to Parliament to make available to the House the essential tools to work with."