Losing experienced MPs will impact on legislature and Ghana’s democracy – Speaker

The Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, has advised political parties to address this issue of experienced MPs leaving the house to ensure that resources are not continually wasted.

He was reacting to the several bears of MPs who have lost their bid to return to the House in the next parliament after the NDC and NPP organised their parliamentary primaries.

He expressed concern over the impact of losing experienced legislators on the legislature and Ghana’s democracy.

He has advised the two political parties and other stakeholders to put in measures to address the challenge.

He made these remarks when parliament resumed on Tuesday, February 6, 2024.

“Honourable members, as if the Black Stars’ performance was not bad enough, we woke up one Saturday, and by the evening, we had lost 28 MPs through the primaries of the NPP. Earlier last year, we lost 17 MPs through the primaries of the NDC. Honourable members, the primaries are part of the process for the electorates to determine who represents them in parliament. But the case of voluntary discontinuance of five and 19, followed by deselection of 17 and 28, is not a good signal for the legislature and for Ghana’s democratic development. Experience, as we all know, counts in this house, but the endorsement of your party is equally important.”

“Honourable members, the haemorrhage and cost to the nation, however, are matters of great concern worth considering by all stakeholders, and I want to appeal to the political parties to take this up seriously because the investment that is made in an individual MP is so huge for the nation just to go to waste after every four years,” he stated.