The Speaker of Parliament, Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin, has inaugurated the Parliamentary Advisory Board with a call on members to work collectively and collaboratively to improve upon the work ethic of staff of the Parliamentary Service.
According to Mr Bagbin, doing this is critical to the sustainable growth and development of the legislature and its personnel if Ghana’s parliament was to be a model on the African continent.
The Speaker made the call at the swearing-in ceremony of the six-member parliamentary advisory board in Accra, yesterday.
He said “It is a fact that there are some hardworking employees of the Service, who are giving their best for the Service and Parliament.
“It is equally true that there is a significant number whose contribution is nothing to write home about. There are some staff who basically have no schedules, and so virtually do nothing, yet are paid at the end of each month.
“Monitoring and supervision by superiors are poor and must be improved if we are determined to attain the vision of being a model Parliament in Africa”.
The Board is Chaired by the Speaker, and the Clerk to Parliament, Cyril Nsiah, the Majority Leader, Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, and the Minority Leader, Mr Haruna Iddrisu, are other members.
The rest are General Secretary of the opposition National Democratic Congress, Johnson Asiedu Nketia, and a former Majority Leader and New Patriotic Party member for Tema West, Abraham Ossei Aidooh.
Mr Bagbin said in as much as a lot would be expected of personnel of the Service, everything must be done to address their concerns, pertaining to delays in promotions and career progression.
He said though Ghana’s Parliament continued to receive plaudits on the international front, its rating on oversight was surprisingly low because the legislature lacked the needed support and assistance to perform oversight functions.
Mr Bagbin commended his predecessor, Professor Aaron Mike Oquaye, for introducing the Private Member’s Bill, and tasked the Board to work hard to enhance the capacity of the Drafting Unit of the Parliamentary Service, to be able to support members.
The Majority Leader and Minister of Parliamentary Affairs, Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, noted that high attrition rate was a major factor undermining the oversight responsibility of Parliament.
Mr Iddrisu said the board would work assiduously with the Speaker to make the current Parliament more responsive, accountable and transparent in serving the needs of the people.
“We will work together to improve oversight for greater accountability particularly in the exercise of Executive authority in Ghana,” he said.
Source: The Ghanaian Times
| Disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. |
