The General Secretary of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Fifi Fiavi Kwetey, has made a strong case for constitutional amendments to prevent Members of Parliament from doubling as ministers of state, describing the current arrangement as deceptive and counterproductive to Ghana's democracy.
Speaking on Channel One TV's Face to Face programme on Tuesday, Mr Kwetey argued that Ghana's system allows political figures to blur the line between parliamentary service and executive ambition, weakening the independence of Parliament and limiting its ability to check the executive arm of government. "I insist that the constitutional review, one of the first things it must tackle, is to decouple this business where, if you are in Parliament, you can be elected to become a member of government," he said.
He lamented what he described as a political culture in which individuals campaign to be legislators, only to pivot toward ministerial ambitions once elected.
For Kwetey, such practices deceive the electorate and erode the true purpose of parliamentary service. "If you want to run to become an MP, we must know that you are seeking to be an MP - not coming to use that position to deceive the country while you're actually looking for a ministerial appointment," he stated.
