Members of Parliament
Members of Parliament yesterday (Tuesday)
expressed their anger and frustrations at a research recently conducted by the
Political Science Department of the University of Ghana over the performance of
MPs.
According to the MPs, the research is not
scientifically inclusive of all official and non-official duties of MPs.
They have thus described the research as
‘bogus’ research not based on scientific baseline requirements, parameters and
modalities.
The First Deputy Speaker, Joseph Osei-Owusu who
raised the matter on the floor of the House on Tuesday on how worrying such
researches or surveys have been pointed out that parameters for measuring the
performance of an MP were not exhaustively captured under the report.
According to the First Deputy Speaker, MPs work
is not only constituency based but basically in parliament house and on
committees of parliament.
“Mr. Speaker last year when I was presiding, a
similar report came out and was discussed on the floor. I told the Committee on
Constitutional, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs to liaise with the political
research institutions and find out what
parameters could MPs’ performance be evaluated,” he said.
He told parliament that constitutionally, MPs
are required to represent their constituents in parliament, make law and lobby
for development in their constituency and not merely being frequently present
in their constituencies.
The minority leader, Haruna Iddrisu said that
the heading of the research which says that 180 non-performing MPs who are
mostly first timers will be voted out in the 2020 general elections stressing
that the supposed findings will definitely influence parliamentary primaries of
the two major political parties in the country and eventually the attrition
rate in parliament which has been a worrying situation for Ghana’s democracy.
He therefore proposed that a special committee
be set up by the speaker to be chaired by the First Deputy Speaker to engage
the Political Science Department of the University of Ghana to find out the
basis for the research, how they arrived at the conclusion that they have gotten,
stressing that most Ghanaians do not know the real constitutional duties of an
MP.
The NDC MPs for Aowin and Yilo Krobo, Mathias
Ntow and Kofi Amoatey respectively took a serious swipe at the research
findings saying that the findings are ‘bogus’ and that the researchers cannot
use the work of an MP in his or her constituency to judge him.
The research by the University of Ghana rated the NDC MP for Asutifi South, Collins Dauda; NPP MP for Effutu, Alex Afenyo-Markin; NPP MP for Abetifi, Bryan Acheampon; NPP MP for Atiwa East, Abena Osei-Asare; Emmanuel Kofi Armah Buah; NDC MP for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa; NDC MP for Adaklu, Governs Kwame Agbodza; NPP MP for Akim Swedru, Kennedy Osei Nyarko; NDC MP for North Dayi, Joycelyn Tetteh and NDC MP for Ketu South, Fiifi Kwetey as the 10 best performing MPs .
By Thomas Fosu Jnr
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