Bagbin urges Parliament to intensify public education on its work

The outgoing Majority Leader of Ghana’s Sixth Parliament under the Fourth Republic, Alban S.K. Bagbin wants the next Parliament, as an institution, to intensify its efforts at educating the public on what members do in the house in order to court the support of the public.

Speaking on the floor of the House at the end of dissolution of the Sixth Parliament of the Fourth Republic, the Majority Leader was hopeful the move will bring Parliament closer to the people.

He cited, for instance, the Annual Public Fora, the Speaker’s Breakfast Meetings and the establishment of the Youth Parliament in various institutions of Higher Learning should be sustained.

“Unfortunately, interest seems to have waned over the years and it is important that they are revived”, he added. Mr. Bagbin who has been in Parliament since 1992, observed that as a human institution, they may not have met all the expectations of every Ghanaian.

“But I have no doubt that on achievements, the scale will tilt in favour of the house,” he touted the achievements of the Sixth Parliament during the four-year period.

Bagbin also acknowledged the “significant” work of the Speaker, Edward Doe Adjaho under whose leadership Parliament was able to commission the Tower Block (Job 600) and provided office space for Members of Parliament. These, he noted, were complemented with a dedicated Police Post and Fire Station.

Mr. Alban Bagbin who will be serving as Second Deputy Speaker in the next parliament was full of praise for the Speaker, “You inaugurated a Parliamentary Training Institute (PTI) a few weeks ago to provide training and capacity building for members, staff and other officials in Ghana and abroad.”

He also noted that the country scored another high mark in democratic practice when the President John Dramani Mahama called his main contender in the just ended presidential election, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to concede defeat, and congratulated him on his electoral victory.

Speaking in an interview with Onua News, the outgoing MP for Tarkwa Nsuaem and the longest serving NPP female MP who has represented her constituency for four consecutive terms, Gifty Kusi agreed with Alban Bagbin on the suggestions he raised on the floor, adding that the work in Parliament is difficult and the public need to know and have little knowledge about what they do in the house.