Mr. Speaker’s Gavel

Followers of parliamentary proceedings, especially the stewardship of Speaker Alban Sumana Bagbin, will always remember the 'I Am Number Three' reference about himself.

That was clear evidence that he won't brook any iota of insubordination; like a village headmaster as Interior Minister Muntaka Mubarak once described him in the aftermath of a verbal exchange in the House.

He is one Speaker who will flex his muscles even if inordinately, as witnessed in his recent actions.

Last Tuesday, for the umpteenth time, he was in the eye of the storm when he walked out Samuel Abu Jinapor, Ranking Member on Foreign Affairs Committee who doubles as Member of Parliament (MP) for the people of Damongo.

The Minority, in solidarity, applied one of the tools at their disposal – a walkout.

We are compelled to consider Speaker Bagbin's reactions to developments he detests overreaching and at variance with the principles which underpin the high office that he holds.

In our opinion, he could do better with the gavel so the reverse of public opinion about his stewardship would hold sway. With two or so years more for him to be addressed 'Mr. Speaker', we think that he should work towards bequeathing our political history a lasting and enviable legacy of cross-party respect and admiration.

As head of one of the three arms of government, the legislature, need we remind Mr. Speaker that regardless of his political lineage he must not be seen to be partisan in the manner he treats issues which come up in the House?

There is a general belief that his stewardship has failed to earn him the kind of deference his predecessors garnered. These noble persons, before him, hid their political colours so well they were hardly noticed as belonging to one of the dominant political parties, not even in their rulings and other actions in the House.

The public conversation which last Tuesday's incidents in Parliament prompted have been anything but pleasing.

The scandals which the public, through their MPs, demand answers to are so critical that any attempt at suppressing them from being vented in the House would not only be an action in futility but would give credence to the suspicions that there are things to hide.

Available precedence exist to show that when the New Patriotic Party (NPP) was in power, the likes of Ablakwa and others on the regime-change agenda propaganda were allowed to table matters in the House which were as silly as they lacked evidence.

Each of the scandals which have occupied the political ambience in the country today are so serious that they demand enquiries.

The only intervention that can address the concerns of Ghanaians regarding the abuse of diplomatic and service passports among the other scandals that have rocked the country today is for MPs to vent their concerns and not to be shouted in the fashion of a village head teacher and pupil relationship.

We pray that the Speaker consider the bigger picture of the growth of democracy in the country and allow questions to be posed about the performance of government appointees regardless of whose ox is gored. The scandals will not die by simply denying opposition MPs the opportunities to pose questions.