Speaker advises MPs to be circumspect

Justice Joyce Bamford Addo

The Speaker of Parliament, Mrs Joyce Bamford-Addo, has advised Members of Parliament (MPs) to be circumspect in their discourse as the political barometer of the country charges towards the December general election.

“Already, there are simmering indications of this thick politically charged crowd moving around us but at least thankfully not in the House”, she said.

Mrs Bamford-Addo gave the advice in her remarks when Parliament resumed for the First Meeting of the Fourth Session of the Fifth Parliament of the Fourth Republic Tuesday.

“Let us bury our political hatchet once we are in the House since our overriding concern, as I always say, is the national interest”.

She asked the MPs to be the forerunners preaching the peace and the need for the consolidation of the democratic culture and all that it entailed to the people of Ghana.

Mrs Bamford-Addo stated that even though the two sides in the House might disagree on some issues, it was important for them to co-operate to carry on the business of the House at all times.

She prevailed on the MPs to avail themselves to the call of duty in plenary as well as in committees of the House amid few challenges in the course of the work.

Welcoming the House, the Majority Leader, Mr Cletus Avoka, congratulated the MPs from the Majority side who won their primaries last weekend and urged those who lost their bid to contest for their seats once more and not lose hope.

“You should not think that this is the end of your political career but rather continue to hope for a better future”, he said.

For his part, the Minority Leader, Mr Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, also congratulated his NDC colleague who, according to him, avoided the thorns and tussle of the political terrain to come out triumphant.

The Fourth Session of the Fifth Parliament is the last of four sessions of this Parliament. It comprises three meetings; the first of which would end just before the Easter festivities.

The second meeting would commence in May and end in July after which the House would, after a long recess, resume in October for the third meeting.

This current Parliament would end when the House completed the third meeting before the December general election for another Parliament to begin in January, 2013.

Members of Parliament would, therefore, have a tight schedule this year as they combined the work in the House in addition to their campaign programme in their bid to retain their seats during the December general elections.