The former Deputy Minority Leader of Parliament, Alfred Agbesi has offered a candid assessment of the 8th Parliament of Ghana, highlighting its challenges and successes on the Morning Starr with Naa Deide Tettey.
Speaking on Morning Starr with Naa Dedei Tettey, Mr. Agbesi stated that the 8th Parliament was “very hectic” due to its status as a hung parliament, where no party held a clear majority, leading to extensive debates before any decisions could be made.
“It was a bit difficult for decision-making because there was no clear majority which could pursue its agenda without any challenge,” Agbesi noted.
Despite the challenges, he praised the parliament’s debate-driven approach. He added that while a hung parliament might present difficulties, it ensured that issues were debated in depth before being settled.
However, Agbesi did not hold back on his criticism of what he saw as an over-reliance on the judiciary. The frequent recourse to the Supreme Court, he argued, impeded the parliament’s work.
Mr. Agbesi advised that the 9th Parliament should learn from the 8th parliament’s experience and be more cautious in resorting to the judiciary.
“Parliament has its own rules and ways of operation even though they must operate within the law but the frequent resort to the constitution impeded the work of parliament. Parliament is also an institution just like the judiciary and each institution must operate to the best of its ability. The resort to the Supreme Court was not in the best interest.
“I believe the 9th could have learned from the experience of the 8th and carefully resort to the supreme court or judiciary when there is a small issue”.
“Every institution must stay in its lane,” Agbesi emphasized, urging Parliament to focus on its legislative duties and only turn to the courts when absolutely necessary. “Parliament is not all legal, it is politics,” he concluded.
Source: Ghana/Starrfm.com.gh/103.5FM/Deborah Amuzu
