Bagbin urges CPA to change focus

The Majority Leader, Alban Bagbin is pushing for a change in focus for the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA).

According to him, the current structure of the CPA makes it difficult to achieve its real objective.

The CPA previously known as the Empire Parliamentary Association, is an organisation, of British origin, which works to support good governance, democracy and human rights. The Association's supreme authority is the General Assembly, constituted by delegates to the annual Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference. Its funds are obtained from membership fees paid by its branches, as well as from two trust funds and various other sources.

Speaking at the 61st General Assembly of the Association in the UK, the Nadowli-Kaleo MP said there is an immediate need for a change in structure of the association to enhance its usefulness to member countries.

He is pushing for the association to migrate from its current status of a charity organisation to an international diplomatic organisation with broader objectives. He believes this will “capture the real intention and objectives of the Association since its formation 1948”.

He bemoaned the fact that even though African countries contribute more than 50% of the funds used in running the organisation, by its status, it still remains a Charity organization under the laws of the United Kingdom.

Bagbin is therefore expected to present a paper on the need to reform the organisation to an international diplomatic body.

Meanwhile, on September 28 the former Health minister delivered a speech on behalf of the CPA at the 6th Accountability Conference and the 5th Annual General Meeting of the West African Association of Public Accounts Committees (WAAPAC) in Lome, Togo. The speech was themed: “Beyond Public Accounts Committee Recommendations: The Missing Link in the Pursuit of Public Accountability.”