The Executive Director of the African Centre for Parliamentary Affairs (ACEPA), Dr. Rashid Draman, has suggested that dialogue is the surest way to resolve the ongoing parliamentary impasse.
His comments follow the second adjournment of the House by the Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, on November 7. The adjournment was due to the absence of business for lawmakers to deliberate on, following the failure of the Business Committee to meet and prepare the necessary agenda for the floor.
The recall session, initiated by the Majority caucus, had been expected to address several critical issues. However, as the Majority caucus failed to appear in the Chamber, Speaker Bagbin expressed disappointment, noting that their absence stalled proceedings.
In his address to the House, Speaker Bagbin highlighted that without committee input and an agenda, the session could not proceed as planned.
The rift between the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the National Democratic Congress (NDC) is due to the composition of the Majority and Minority caucuses in Parliament. The minority on Thursday occupied the majority side, forcing the majority to stay outside the premises of Parliament.
The disagreements between the two major political parties intensified following a ruling by the Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin that declared four seats vacant.
The Supreme Court issued a stay of execution on the Speaker’s ruling, which declared the four seats vacant.
Speaking in an interview with Hawa Iddrisu on Channel One TV’s News Feed, Dr Draman advised the Majority to do the needful by engaging the right persons to resolve the matter.
The Executive Director of ACEPA proposed to the elders of Ghana to join forces to resolve the issue, stating that legality can’t solve the issue.
He expressed scepticism that the matter might be solved before the 2024 general elections if the majority pursue its legal tangent.
“This legal battle back and forth, I think is not going to take us from this conundrum. What is going to take us out of this is what they are refusing to do, to talk. That is what we elected them to do when there are difficult moments like this, they sit down and talk, if they cannot talk by themselves, let the elders we have in this country get them to sit down and talk.
“But everybody is ignoring this aspect, which for me, I think is the most important, we are using the wrong tool. You want to force legality in this? While this matter is going to drag on until we go to the polls and then everything is over. If they want to get any business done, I think the earlier they start thinking out of the box, the better, particularly those who want government business to be done.”
The Majority has said it will engage the Speaker to resolve the matter.
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