The sitting was after the inauguration of the house on Thursday, January 7, and as Speaker of the House, Rt. Hon. Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin delivered his first address to the 275 members of the law-making body.
Among other things, Mr Bagbin who holds the record of being one of Ghana’s longest-serving MP advised first-time members and also announced his commitment to serving the house diligently.
Read his full address below:
Hon Members,
I would like, first and foremost, to express my gratitude, once again, to all of you for your support in electing me as Speaker of the 8th Parliament of the Republic of Ghana, in accordance with Article 95, clauses (1) and (3) of the Constitution and Orders 8 and 9 of the Standing Orders of the Parliament of Ghana. As I pledged to you and the Nation on the occasion of my election as Speaker, I am fully committed to serving this House and this Country faithfully and conscientiously as the Speaker for Members of Parliament and indeed all Ghanaians.
SPECIAL WELCOME TO FIRST-TIME MEMBERS
Let me also take this opportunity to congratulate each and every one of you, once again, on being elected or re-electedas a Member of the eight Parliament of the Fourth Republic. I am particularly delighted to welcome the one hundred and twenty-seven fresh hands, who are assuming your seats as Members of this House for the first time. You have now earned the privilege to be addressed in this Chamber as “Honorable”.And honorable you must be.
Whatever may have been your inspiration for choosing to embark on this path, I would like you to know that the position you now occupy as a Member of Parliament is a position of leadership, of honor, of privilege, of trust, and, above all, of service. Your constituents have reposed in you, as in the rest of your colleagues, an enormous amount of confidence and trust in electing you to represent them and their interests in this House of the People of Ghana. You have a reciprocal responsibility and obligation to serve them and the Nation with honor, and integrity. Remember at all times, that you lead your people best by serving themwith respect, with humility, and with diligence.
My office, together with the Office of the Clerk of Parliament and the Parliamentary Service as a whole, stands ready to assist you with a range of services and resources, including training, necessary to make your transition into your new role as smooth as possible. I am also confident that you will find among your returning colleagues many who are able and willing to help you navigate and learn the ropes here as quickly as you can, so that you can contribute effectively to the business of this House and make an impact within the shortest possible time.
Ultimately, responsibility for having a successful career in this House rests with you. Remember that, this House is a house of rules and procedures. Thus, knowledge and, with time, mastery, of the rules and procedures that govern the business and proceedings of this House will be indispensable to your success as a Member,as well as make my job as Speaker, all the more effective. May your career in this House be as long and as productive as mine has been.
MEMBERS WHO BECOME MINISTERS
Honourable Members, by the dictates of the Constitution of the Fourth Republic, some of you will, in due course, be nominated and, with the approval of this House, appointed by the President to positions in his Administration as Ministers and Deputy Ministers of State. During my 28-year career as a Member of Parliament, I had the opportunity to serve as a Minister of State in different capacities. This so-called “hybrid”feature of our Constitutional systemmeans, in effect, that a certain number of you will, at any given time, be under a duty to serve three Masters: Constituency,Parliament and the President.
Hon Members, you are well aware, of the Biblical injunction to not serve two masters, lest you become “devoted to one and despise the other.” (Matthew6:24).In your situation, it is even worse. You are enjoined to serve three masters.Needless to say, our experience has shown that, in the case of Members who double as Ministers,the master that is often sacrificed and left holding the shorter end of the stick is Parliament. Members who are appointed to Ministerial office generally prioritize their Executive Branch roles over their Parliamentary roles. Scholars and students of governance have observed and noted the myriad ways in which this arrangement has served to unbalance the relationship between the Executive and
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