Editor to face Privileges Committee of parliament

Accra, Oct. 26, GNA- Mrs Joyce Bamford-Adddo, Speaker of Parliament, on Tuesday referred the editor of the Africawatch Magazine to the Privileges Committee of the House for contempt of Parliament. The Editor, Mr Steve Mallory recently published the outcome of the paper's assessment of Members of Parliament which in the opinion of the house has distorted the perception of some Ghanaians on the performance of the legislators.

Quoting Article 122 of the 1992 Constitution and the Parliamentary Standing Order 30 (2), Mrs Bamford-Addo established that the publication was an affront to the dignity of Parliament or tended to bring the name of Parliament into disrepute.

"It is not for anybody to seek to know what happened in Parliament and that I therefore refer the matter to the Privileges Committee for the integrity of the house", she said.

The Speaker was ruling on two statements delivered on the floor of Parliament on the October edition of the Africawatch magazine in which 24 of Parliamentarians were adjudged to have failed in its maiden Political Performance Index (PPI).

Most of the members who contributed to the debate poured out their fury for the "incomprehensive manner" and branded the poll as "deceitful".

Mr Cletus Avoka, Majority Leader, said the grading system was unfair and did not take into account most of the activities of Parliament.

He noted that the leadership of Parliament was not privy or part of the polls and stated that he wondered whether Africawatch had the capacity to assess Parliament well.

He said the Speaker who normally gave the platform to all members to perform had a lower mark than her good self than the leadership. He said the process of law making transcended activities that took place in the chamber.

"The publication is capricious, whimsical and highly unacceptable", he said. Mr Avoka assured members that the leadership of the House have faith in all members of the House.

Mr Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, Minority Leader, said the editor of the Africawatch magazine did not have a good motive and that his attempt to assess parliamentarians was mischievous. He argued that any attempt to examine Parliament must help improve parliamentary systems adding that the yardstick adopted was not comprehensive.

He said 60 per cent of the work of Parliament was done at the committee level and that any assessment which did not include that would be incomplete.

Mr David Tetteh Assumeng, Member for Shai-Osudoku, said for he wondered why a lecturer who was very eloquent on the floor of the house be graded F.

He said the editor must be hauled to the Privileges Committee adding that parliamentarians were not against an assessment per se but it must be done in an open and fair manner. He however said it was a wake up call to all members to be up and doing.

Mr Issac Asiamah, Member for Atwima-Mponua, said the first time he heard news about the publication was when a chief from his constituency called to congratulate for performing well in an was examination arranged for the MPs.

He said the out come of the publication was would be the yardstick for the 2012 elections adding, what could save Parliament was to drag the editor to the Privileges committee. He said there were credible research institutions such as the Institute of Statistical Social and Economic Research, Ghana Centre for Democratic Development (CDD) that could handle this research well. Alhaji Muntaka Mohammed-Mubarak, Member for Asawase, said the publication was not fair to Members of Parliament who were new. First timers in Parliament learn from the experienced legislators and that "it was not fair assessing them this way". He wondered how the editor was able to know all members and assess them since it would be difficult for even members to know all the 230 members of Parliament.

He said Parliament was not beyond assessment but any attempt to examine it should not put it in a bad light. He however said: "Let's call a spade a spade, some members just walk into the chamber and walk out, we do not have ethics." Mrs Catherine Afeku, Member for Evalue-Gwiwa, said the publication did more damage to the few women in Parliament than good. She said to give the Speaker a mere B+ was an insult to her adding: "I was upset, it will be difficult for women to contest at the local level", she said.

"I urge Ghanaians to ignore this assessment Africawatch has made in its October edition on Parliament. It was distasteful. Mr Yaw Maama Afful, Member for Jaman South, said he disagreed with members for calling for the dragging of the Editor to the Privileges Committee though publication was flawed. He said he did the assessment for two purposes- to make money and break down MPs, adding "let's ignore him." Mr Abdulai Inusa Fuseini, Member for Tamale Central, said it was dangerous to include the Speaker in the poll since she was a not a member of the House and that her rulings could not be questioned within or outside the House.

He said anyone who attempted doing would contravene the law. "No one by any stretch imagination should attempt to assess the Speaker", he said.

Mr Mathew Prempeh, Member for Manhyia, said such an exercise should be led by Parliament with or without external assessors, mutually agreed criteria should be used and a comprehensive report issued. He noted that no student will participate in an examination with an unknown syllabus, marking scheme, grading system, appellate process or even recourse to a legal process if necessary. No student will participate in an examination with unknown syllabi, marking scheme, grading system, appellate process or even recourse to a legal process if necessary. 26 Oct. 10