Parliament won't be affected by exit of Anane, others – Amoako Baah

According to political scientist, Dr. Richard Amoako Baah, the defeat of former health minister Dr Richard Anane and other known members of parliament in the opposition New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) parliamentary primaries over the weekend will not have any adverse effect on the workings of parliament.

The Nhyiaso MP and other known figures including, the Subin MP Isaac Osei, Gifty Klenam, Addai Nimo and others lost their seats in the Saturday polls.

There are concerns their exit from the lawmaking chamber will impact negatively on debates and other activities of the House.

But speaking to Kafui Dey on the Morning Starr Monday, the head of the political science department of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) said their exit will be of no consequences at all.

“I don’t think their exit will affect parliament that much. If parliament was that effective, our country wouldn’t be on its knees. People keep saying that parliament will lose institutional memory with the exit of these people but the truth is that everything that happens in parliament is written down so that new ones can learn from them.

“If we put that argument as a premium, then we are putting experience over democracy. How do we know that the newcomer will be better than the old one?

“So does it mean that we keep those who are there forever? It doesn’t make any sense, some of the new ones will surprise us,” he stated.