Educational qualification for MPs shouldn't be pegged at degree - Ras Mubarak

The Member of Parliament for Kumbungu Ras Mubarak has completely disagreed with suggestions for the educational requirement for anyone to qualify to contest as an MP to be pegged at a degree.

This he stated will amount to discrimination and a constitutional breach.

The qualifications of a person aspiring to enter into parliament is explicitly enshrined in the 1992 Republican constitution article (94)

(1) Subject to the provisions of this article, a person shall not be qualified to be a Member of Parliament unless –

(a) He is a citizen of Ghana, has attained the age of twenty-one (21) years and is a registered voter;

(b) He is resident in the constituency for which he stands as a candidate for election to Parliament or has resided there for a total period of not less than five (5) years out of the ten (10) years immediately preceding the election for which he stands, or he hails from that constituency; and

(c) He has paid all his taxes or made arrangements satisfactory to the appropriate authority for the payment of his taxes.

There’ve been arguments that Ghana must peg its educational qualification for MP aspirants to have a university degree.

But Ras Mabarak says it does not only take university graduates to govern the nation.

According to him, a pupil-teacher or a housewife without a law background, could use their experiences to propose laws.

Knowledge, he said is not only found in university graduates.

He stressed pegging the educational qualification of MPs to a degree amounts to discrimination and breach of the fundamental rights.

The legislator added the person should be of sound mind and demonstrate an ability to understand governance issues.