MPs Begin Work With Great Zeal

The Fourth Parliament of the Fourth Republic began business in earnest yesterday.

Members of both sides were present for the proceedings, looking very confident and determined to begin the four-year they have been mandated to do. The atmosphere in the chamber was calm and friendly. First up, the House approved unanimously the membership of the various Select Committees to reflect the relative strengths of the party caucuses.

The majority, made up of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), and its Convention People's Party (CPP) and the People's National Convention (PNC) allies, has a 59 percent share, as against the National Democratic Congress (NDC) minority's 41 percent.

This followed the adoption of the report of the House Leadership on the formula for the composition of parliamentary committees and delegations.

This is in accordance with Standing Orders 151 (1) and 154, which require the leadership to meet to consider the ratio of Majority and Minority Members.

The House also adopted the report of the leadership on the membership of the Committee of Selection for the first session.

This Committee comprises the Speaker as Chairman and not more that 19 MPs, eleven from the Majority side and eight from the Minority.

Tabling the motion for the adoption of the two reports, the Majority Leader, Mr Felix Owusu-Agyepong, said that the agreed ratios between Majority and Minority members should apply in the composition of all committees and delegations except where a different composition was specified.