New Standing Orders to address Ghana’s dynamic and hybrid parliamentary democracy – Bagbin

Hon Speaker of Parliament, Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin, has stated that the January 2024 Standing Orders of Parliament offer an opportunity to address the evolving needs of Ghana’s dynamic and hybrid parliamentary democracy.

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Speaker made this statement in his opening address at the orientation workshop for Members of Parliament and Procedural Staff on the new Standing Orders in Ho, over the weekend.

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He stated that the attendant composition of the House has brought to the fore several challenges with the old Standing Orders.

The current Standing Orders of Parliament which came into effect on the 2nd of January 2024 assures for effective and efficient performance of Parliament and Parliamentarians.

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The Speaker indicated that, the Parliament of Ghana’s Standing Orders are deeply rooted in the 1992 Constitution of the Republic of Ghana and drawing on the Darwinian concept of a “living organism.” It is a dynamic document that continues to evolve and therefore, the metaphorical representation of a “living Constitution” is a testament to its capacity to adapt to society’s ever-changing needs, reflecting the evolution of laws, policies and preferences.

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The Deputy Majority Leader and MP for Effutu, Hon Alexander Kwamina Afenyo-Markin in his remarks on behalf of the Majority Leader indicated that the only weapon for an MP is the rules book (Standing Orders) and cited himself as an example that, when he entered the chamber in 2013 and found himself fumbling, the only saviour was the rules book.

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Cyril Kwabena Oteng Nsiah, indicated that, since the commencement of the previous Orders, Parliaments have been confronted with contemporary challenges such as the Covid-19 pandemic; institutionalization of mechanisms to promote the Open Parliament Concept; the hung nature of the Eighth Parliament, which is the first of its kind since the inception of the Fourth Republic, presented several novel situations and challenges that were not clearly provided for under the previous Standing Orders.