Bagbin advocates legislation for welfare of Parliamentarians

The Majority Leader of Parliament, Hon. Alban S.K. Bagbin has advocated a legislative instrument that seeks to better the welfare of Members of Parliament, even when they leave office as Public Servants.

According to the Majority Leader, who is also Member of Parliament for Nadowli West Constituency, the welfare of Parliamentarians in the country is not clearly defined, thereby leaving Members in a disadvantageous situation when their term of office ends as Members of Parliament.

He said as enshrined in the Constitution, Members of Parliament are bared from occupying positions in the civil service, resulting in some Members struggling to make ends meet as a result of failure to plan for their retirement.

Hon. Bagbin made this observation at a forum organized for former Members of Parliament in Accra, yesterday. It was under the theme -”The Role of the Former Member of Parliament in Promoting and Strengthening Parliamentary Democracy in Ghana”.

He said Parliament was concerned about the situation and would put together a legislation that will provide some form of social security for Members of Parliament to secure their future in order to have something to live on when they leave Parliament.

“I believe that Members of Parliament who become former Members of Parliament deserve better. If the President and others deserve lavish lifestyle after their term of office, then Members of Parliament also deserve same, he noted.”

Hon. Bagbin described the coming together of former Members of Parliament as a landmark in the country's democratic journey.

He promised to provide an office accommodation for the former Members of Parliament to enable them work effectively and in harmony with the Legislative House.

He called on the members to throw their wait behind the establishment of a Parliamentary Institute in Ghana, aimed at deepening democracy not only in the country but also the entire African Continent.

“Even thought I concede that the Parliamentary practice in Ghana is not the best, I believe that the establishment of the Parliamentary institute in the country would improve the situation,” he said. “Until Parliament is given its rightful place, democracy will never deepen or entrench itself in this country”, he noted.

Before the start of the programme at the premises of the College of Surgeons and Physicians, the former Members of Parliament had engaged each other in hearty chats, all in the spirit of solidarity. Whilst some members used the occasion to recall their good old days in Parliament, others used it to renew old relationships.

The forum is a platform for former Members of Parliament to compare experiences both in mature democracies and emerging ones around the globe, like the United States of America, the United Kingdom and India. The forum also enabled members to share ideas on possible things that needed to be done in order to move the country forward.

The Chairman of the occasion, Hon Freddie Blay, in his acceptance statement employed new Members of Parliament to learn from their old folks and also to share ideas together, in order to deepen democracy in the country.

He called on Members to come together as one family and to fight for a worthy cause in promoting democracy in the country. “Politicians are not evil and, therefore, it behooves on members to come together to fight a worthy cause”, he noted.

Mr. Kosi Kedem, President for the Forum for Former Members of Parliament (FFMP), in his submission acknowledged the tremendous role that various governments and chiefs have played in upholding democratic tenets in the country.

He said even though the rule of law, democratic and constitutional governance may be slow, expensive and even frustrating, it remains the best practice in the world as far as governance is concern. He cautioned members not to be too slow in upholding the aforementioned tenets, otherwise, they would frustrate the high expectations of the people.

“Notwithstanding its complexity and inherent problems, democratic governance remains our only hope. We must, therefore, hold onto it and fearlessly defend it because it is the only sure way of building a better Ghana”, he emphasized. He congratulated the leadership of Parliament for having the foresight to build a Parliamentary Institute in Ghana.