It is a step in the right direction - Dr. Evans Darko on govt's GHs178m plan to build constituency offices

Dr. Evans Aggrey Darko, the Chief Director at the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs, has said that it is a decision in the right direction for the government to construct constituency offices worth over GHs178 for all Members of Parliament.

According to him, the MPs will have homes closer to both their constituents and their constituencies, as measure that will ensure effective and quality representation on the floor of Parliament, reports myjoyonline.com.

Dr. Evans Aggrey Darko explained that politics is “local and people-centered” and so one way of ensuring that every constituent is in sync and can interact with their MP is through such an initiative expected to bring both parties together.

“By enhancing the quality of representation, one of the critical things that you need to do is to provide them with an address, a place where people can effectively interface.

“The people will see the MP as also helping them access other public bureaucracies within the system. So, when you give them such an opportunity, trust me, that is where you see their real value,” he stressed.

Dr. Darko also expressed great optimism that bringing leaders and their constituents together will set a standard whereby legislators can be accessed on the “quality of delivery” at the end of their tenure based.

This, he added, will be made possible because of the information available to them.

In the meantime, the Executive Director for Africa Centre for Parliamentary Affairs (ACEPA), Dr Rashid Dramani has also expressed support to the government on its plan to build offices for all the constituencies in the country.

He was of the view that it is already long overdue for Members of Parliament to have access to their own offices within their constituencies as their absence, weakens their ability to effectively represent their people.

“The legitimacy of any Parliament and its members rest on the central claim that they give meaning to political representation in society. Over the years, the weakest link if you ask me is the issue of representation.

“I think this whole idea of constituency offices for Members of Parliament should have been dealt with right from the very first day when we started this 4th Republic,” he said.