Parliament must lead effort to restore national discourse civility - Speaker urges members

The Speaker of Parliament, Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin, has backed President John Dramani Mahama's call for a national dialogue on hate speech and abusive online content.

He said the President's call was timely and necessary to protect Ghana's democratic culture.

Mr Bagbin made the point yesterday when he addressed an emergency sitting of Parliament.

The sitting followed a petition by the Minority Caucus for the Speaker to recall the House to consider and set up a committee to investigate recent cocaine seizures involving consignments linked to Ghana. Stakeholder engagement

The Speaker explained that the proposed national stakeholder engagement should bring together relevant institutions and stakeholders to examine the growing incidence of abusive, insulting, threatening and hateful speech in the country, particularly on social media and other digital platforms.

President Mahama last week asked the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) and the Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) to convene a national stakeholder engagement to discuss ways to address hate speech, abusive online content and promote responsible digital communication.

The initiative is expected to develop a national roadmap that tackles harmful content while protecting freedom of expression.

Mr Bagbin, in his opening address at the one-day emergency sitting of the House, said he had taken note of the President's call and the support it had received across the country and beyond.

“I believe that the call is timely and deserves the support of all persons and institutions committed to the preservation of our democracy,” he said. Let's protect free speech

The Speaker said the increasingly heated nature of public discourse should concern all Ghanaians, particularly at a time when social media had expanded the democratic space and given citizens unprecedented opportunities to participate in national affairs.

Mr Bagbin acknowledged that digital platforms had enabled citizens to express opinions, criticise public officials, expose wrongdoing and demand accountability.

“These are gains which must be protected,” he said, adding that freedom of speech and expression, including freedom of the press and other media, was guaranteed by the Constitution.

The Speaker, however, said the constitutional protection of free expression should not be interpreted as a licence for the degradation of public discourse.

Mr Bagbin said political disagreement, satire, dissent and vigorous debate were essential features of democracy, but expressed concern that they were increasingly being conveyed through insults, personal attacks, ethnic insinuations, threats and allegations repeated without regard for their truth or consequences.

He said the speed and reach of digital platforms had amplified such language and heightened its potential impact on society.
“This should concern us all, irrespective of political affiliation,” he said. Exercise oversight

The Speaker said the national conversation proposed by the President should be broad, inclusive and measured, and should not become an avenue for suppressing dissent or shielding public officials from legitimate criticism.

At the same time, legitimate concerns about freedom of expression should not be used to justify threats, incitements, deliberate falsehoods or reckless abuse of other people, he said.

Mr Bagbin, therefore, urged parliament to become an active participant in the national dialogue, directing the appropriate committees, particularly the Human Rights Committee, to exercise their oversight responsibilities.

“I, therefore, expect the appropriate committees of this House to take an active interest in the matters and to engage relevant constitutional, regulatory and civil society bodies on the stage of our public discourse,” he said. Conduct yourself properly  

The Speaker also turned the spotlight on Parliament itself, saying MPs could not credibly demand responsible speech from journalists, broadcasters, bloggers, content creators and other citizens without first examining their own conduct.

“Parliament must be prepared to look inward,” he said.

Mr Bagbin said parliamentary proceedings, committee activities, press conferences, interviews, public meetings and social media engagements all contributed to shaping the national conversation.

He expressed concern that some utterances by MPs, both inside and outside Parliament, had fallen below the standards expected of elected representatives.

“Robust disagreement is legitimate. Strong criticism is legitimate. Holding government, the opposition, the Speaker, leadership and every institution or state to account is legitimate.
“But insult is not argument.

 Abuse is not scrutiny.”

— Graphic Online