MP's Push For NCCE To Scrap Election Year Parliamentary Debate

Member of Parliament (MP) for Fanteakwa, honorable Kofi Okyere Agyekum, together with some other MP's, has called on the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) to scrap the parliamentary debate they organize for MP’s during election years.

According to Mr. Agyekum, who is also a Ranking Member on the Public Accounts Committee, the aspiring MP’s take advantage of the exercise to launch unnecessary attacks on the incumbent MP’s in a bid to make them unpopular in the eyes of their constituents.

He strongly believes that the debate gives their opponents the opportunity to mislead the constituents rather than educate them; hence he shares the opinion that organizing Parliamentary debates for the MP’s is not necessary and something the NCCE should critically consider and take it out of the equation.

“I participated in one of the debates in my constituency. You will normally realize that you will probably have a sitting MP and he will be debating with a challenger. And you will find out that, especially the challenger, when I come I will do this road, when I come I will build this hospital and you have been an incumbent and you are sitting there”.

“You know that it is not within your power to do that. So your constituents will think that it is possible for MP’s to do roads, build hospitals and you have not done it and your opponent, either out of ignorance or deliberately, will be saying these things. So I think it is not necessary. I am telling you my candid opinion. It doesn’t educate the public. Sometimes it misinforms the public”, Honorable Kofi Okyere Agyekum shared when the NCCE boss, Madam Josephine Nkrumah appeared before parliament on Wednesday, April 17, 2019.

Meanwhile, Madam Josephine Nkrumah has assured the MP’s that her office will take into considerations the concerns they have raised going forward.