The Member of Parliament for Ayawaso Central and Greater Accra Regional Minister, Henry Quartey, has expressed dismay at the departure of experienced MPs from Ghana’s legislature.
Several seasoned lawmakers from both sides of the House have either announced their decision not to seek re-election after their current terms expire or lost in their parliamentary bids, signalling an imminent exit from Parliament after the December polls.
The Ayawaso Central MP highlighted the potential impact of their departure on the country’s parliamentary practice.
He specifically pointed out the significance of seasoned legislators, exemplifying the enduring presence and contributions of Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu in Parliament as a testament to their importance.
Henry Quartey emphasized that the wealth of experience and contributions of long-serving MPs like Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu have played a crucial role in the development of the country.
The departure of such seasoned individuals, according to Henry Quartey, poses a challenge to the continuity and effectiveness of parliamentary proceedings.
Asked if experienced MPs should be protected by their respective political parties on Face to Face on Citi TV, Henry Quartey said, “Ordinarily, it would have been a good thing to do because of the rate of attrition in Parliament. MPs doing their first and second terms and leaving Parliament does not help the parliamentary practice, and when you look at other jurisdictions, you will notice that some people have been there [in Parliament] for 30 years or more. When you look at the performance of Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, it tells you that you learn on the job, and that is what the country needs.”
“Having said that, the NPP believes that there should be competition, and I want to commend the national executives for allowing a contest. It was decided at the national council that everyone should be allowed to contest and that nobody should impose a candidate on anybody because we are not in normal times. When you impose a candidate, we are likely to come to Parliament with some 60 or 70 MPs because the people will vote against the party’s choice, or you will have a lot of independent candidates emerging.
“But when the people are allowed to make their own choices, they are happy, and so they will come on board with that energy and vote for that person and campaign for that person,” the Regional Minister further told Umaru Sanda Amadu.
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