The need to dialogue to achieve consensus has become an imperative – Speaker

The Speaker of Parliament, Rt. Hon. Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin, has reiterated the need for politicians to take advantage of the current composition of the 8th Parliament to improve on the democratic gains of the country. “I still maintain that the composition of Ghana’s current parliament as a hung one presents the Legislature with the unique opportunity to right some errors in the past” he stated.

The Rt. Hon. Speaker made these statements when he opened a three-day workshop for members of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA UK) under the theme “Trade and Security: Effective Parliaments in Times of Complexities” in Accra.

According to the Speaker, whilst a hung parliament by itself is not bad, the challenges associated with it can be daunting and can lead to complexities, adding that the need to consult, dialogue, co-operate, compromise, collaborate and achieve consensus has become an imperative.

The Speaker emphasised that one such opportunity he is pursuing is leading a process that will ensure that the Legislature is strengthened to play its role as an equal partner to the other arms of government, in the deliverance of an open, transparent and accountable government.

The Minister of National Security, Mr. Kan Dapaah, speaking in a similar vein, said there can never be a true democracy without checks and balance, stressing that the current composition of the 8th Parliament present an effective way for the Legislature to check the Executive for the development of the country.

He highlighted some of the challenges of the 8th Parliament and mentioned physical confrontation on the floor of the House and said both sides should work together in the best interest of the nation.

Welcoming the participants to the workshop, the Clerk to Parliament, Mr. Cyril Kwabena Oteng Nsiah, noted the need for the Commonwealth to pay attention to developing and implementing mechanism that would boost trade, enhance security and improve gender relations. He said the workshop is taking place at a time when member countries need to be unified force in the face of current global difficulties.

He was of the view that deliberations on the topics outlined for discussion during sessions of the workshop will result in a cross fertilisation of ideas for the growth of respective parliaments and renew the commitment to improve the lot of nations and the world at large.

The objective of the workshop is to help develop a greater understanding of the operations of Parliamentary Trade, Security and Gender Committees in the Commonwealth.