- "There were people who suggested Ghana should have it, they advanced reasons for doing that, but there are some people who think that the Ghanaian society is not heterogenous enough and therefore does not call for that."
Emmanuel Anyimadu, a former Clerk to Parliament, has said that it is still premature to consider establishing a second chamber of Ghana’s legislature.
In an interview with Kojo Mensah on The Asaase Breakfast Show on Monday (4 January), Anyimadu said the current legislative system must be allowed to run.
“This is an issue that has been on the table for some time,” Anyimadu said. “You find it in the US, UK, India and many of these big democracies. It has come up before, at the time of independence.”
He added: “There were people who suggested Ghana should have it; they advanced reasons for doing that. But there are some people who think that Ghanaian society is not heterogeneous enough and therefore does not call for that.”
However, the former Clerk to Parliament said the difficulty can be eased by learning from other countries to guide future decision-making on the matter.
“I cannot sit here and say that we should go there, but I think it’s a matter for all of us Ghanaians to discuss and look at the pros and cons and see how best that will help us. We must also learn from some jurisdictions: is it helping them? So, if we see it will help Ghana, why not?” he said.
Appointment of Speaker
Touching on the appointment of a new Speaker of Parliament, Anyimadu said despite the challenge in selecting the most suitable person for the position, MPs must take a decision either today or Tuesday.
The ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) won 137 seats in the 7 December parliamentary election, as did the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), leaving neither party with a clear majority.
Experts have argued the eighth parliament can enhance Parliament’s supervisory role over the executive, devoid of politics but acting in the interest and well-being of the country.
Fred Dzakpata
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