The Challenges of Being a Member of Parliament

The desire of wanting to become a politician that includes the work of the Member of Parliament (MP) can stem from many different motives. There is the motive of power, prestige, vanity, missionary zeal, and many other interests that motivate many people to enter into the political scene. But with all these interests behind his mind, the politician is supposed to work hard in order not only to fulfil his political ambitions but also to fight strenuously to maintain the seat that he occupies. Politicians therefore must have the enormous strength to be able to listen to wishes of the electorate and the local party members as well as the important pressure groups who reside in the constituency.

As a member of parliament, a politician has certain duties to fulfil which are arduous and exacting because these responsibilities take a considerable number of hours; more than many people would think. It is true that he has a helper in the capacity of a personal secretary but that alone does not solve the problems of the tedious working schedule of the modern-day MP. Basically, the duties of the MP are seen to be inhering in the traditional four main spheres, which comprise his duties to:

1. His party
2. His constituency
3. The nation
4. Himself

Though throughout his work the MP is seen as a strenuous worker trying to fulfil all these above-mentioned responsibilities, he usually forgets about the third function due to the risk involve of loosing his seat to someone else or his opponent at home. Loyalty to his party is always guaranteed as he/she has regular contact and group meetings which allows him/her to show support, and they in turn recognising his commitment to follow the party line. His responsibility to the constituency he hails from has the highest regard on the list, because every MP knows that one cannot become an MP without the continuing support of his local members who has sent him there to the parliament in order to represent them. As a result, every MP is indebted to his constituency in the form of being summoned to explain his actions on any matter; visiting local members regularly to show his loyalty; and also listen to their grievances and complains which will secure their trust for him. With regards to his own interests and ideas, MP has his personal views he wants to promote in the society and nation that he has been chosen to serve. Due to personal interests, he may challenge a bill that is being promoted by the opposing party or initiate a bill that he believes will have a wider public interest. It is also likely that due to his enormous influence he would be considered for the position of directorship or consultancy work of companies which might be one way of collecting political intelligence and covering early warning of future government policy.

While these responsibilities mentioned above might occupy the greatest part of his time, including the direct opportunity to criticise policies in the parliament house on other important matters, initiate legislation of a private members bill, and also disseminate propaganda both inside and outside of parliament, MP may loose the focus on important matters affecting the nation. Here, on this point the Ghanaian example would be taken for meticulous analysis.

Ghana is a country that has suffered a great deal ever since its independence from the British Colonial Rule. The nation had been ruled by dictators who had not only molested its citizens that they are supposed to protect but also squandered their money that should have made the citizens richer and taken them out of poverty. This problem is very conspicuous so one might think that any opportunity the nation obtains the possibility to usher in into the rule of law they would deal with this problem once and for all. This problem is the work of the parliamentarians who should make it their responsibility as law makers to have deliberated on how they would find a lasting solution to this problem. Unfortunately, this had never happened in the history of all the republics we have had the chance to revert to democracy and the rule of law. Parliamentarians as soon as they have the opportunity to come to parliament would be thinking on how many cars they can obtain in order to go to work as usual or regular. They may be thinking which kind of homes they will be occupying or what schools their children will be attending. These wants and needs and domestic problems had always blinded these law makers until eventually these military dictators would snatch the power from their hands. This always made them behaved like children who have food in their hands they are not able to eat so that a grown up person or someone that does not deserve it comes around and take it by force from them.

And so our dear country Ghana had never really had a visionary leader who could put these dictators into their place which had made them entertained the long-standing idea that Ghanaians lack the ability to rule themselves. While there have been others like Nana Akuffo Addo, who made the famous attempt to stop J. J. Rawlings (the dictator turned democratic) from going to the Burma Camp (that in itself not a lasting solution but temporary), no politicians had ever brought up the idea that these treacherous institutions could be moved from the capital city and be placed somewhere else. For after all, they are not trained for ruling but as fighters; and fighters do not have to live in the capital city, they should either be moving around to look for enemies that may be coming or they should be in the strategic places in the countries, for example, at the boarder or in the middle part of the larger country. This, which is the sole problem of parliamentarians, had been neglected and it is so strange that they do not even think that this is their responsibility. What kind of parliamentarians are you? Do you spend time and think of those things that affect the nation and the people of Ghana? Are you not aware, oh my dear short-sighted politicians, whether your country is being ruled by the dictators or they have teamed up in order to rule while they put a figure head in power? The same dictators who had ruled you ever since you became independent are ruling you. Personally, I am concern about your safety and freedom. Are you really free as a nation? I believe the only time you can enjoy freedom is when you the parliamentarians, the law makers of land, legislate that the Ghana Armed Forces should have the city of Sunyani as their headquarters and the Ghana Police should have Ho as their headquarters. Once that has been done, you could be really free to conduct the business of the state and also wrestle your freedom from these officers who do not understand what we mean by democracy. Moreover, you will also solve the problem that concerns the wondering of how many ethnic minorities or majorities make up the Ghana Army. For that has been the strategy that certain people who are not used to the democratic principles of our land, (that which are instilled in us all as Akans) are utilising to cause trouble among people who had lived orderly life such that, Queen Victoria of England, during one of her visits could exclaim that this is indeed a neat and orderly society of people; “their city is the garden city” of Africa.