Justice Annan urges Parliament to work by consensus

The former Speaker of Parliament, Mr Justice Daniel F. Annan on Saturday, urged Parliament to adopt a healthy consensus building as a legislative body for sustainable national development.

Delivering an address on the role of the Legislature in Governance at a two-day induction seminar for Members of Parliament (MPS), Mr Justice Annan said "given the strength of the parties in parliament, a reasonable case could quite clearly be made for a well defined policy of consensus building."

The Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA) is hosting the seminar being sponsored by Friedrich Ebert Stiftung (FES).

Mr Justice Annan said in a developing country like Ghana, "democracy is a lot more about the economies of national development".

"Parliament's collective leadership in its institutional capacity branch of government could provide an incentive for developing informal discussions between current and former political office holders be they Presidents, Ministers, MPS or Party Leaders"

Mr Justice Annan said good governance is now associated with sound economic policies, access to equitable health, effective management of the public sector and the development of a free, articulate and responsible society anchored on the rule of law and the respect for fundamental human rights.

He said the legal machinery must be such that it has independent commissions that are effective for the protection of the rights of citizens without bias on grounds of ethnicity or gender.

The legislature must be committed to the principles and practices of transparency and accountability of leaders in politics, public administration, private sector and civil society generally.

Mr Justice Annan said the security services trained in a non-partisan outlook and the media that is allowed to operate freely to expose abuse of power, uphold the principles of accountability and responsibility which are assets to good governance

Dr Peter Schellschmidt, Resident Director of FES, said Ghanaians have elected articulate members of parliament who come from powerful parties and that shows a healthy sign for democratic development.

Mr J.H. Mensah, Majority Leader and Minister of Government Business, said the current parliament could be a reformist, given that previous Parliaments were short-lived.

He said the perception and the practice of the electorate using their MPS as "visa and passport contractors" must change.

Mr Mensah urged MPS to join in the crusade to stop the nation's productive elements from leaving the country for greener pastures.

He said it is unfortunate that the electorate demand so much from their MPS.

Mr Peter Ala Adjetey, the Speaker of Parliament urged Parliamentarians to take the seminar seriously to ensure effective participation in the work of Parliament.