Calls to protect long serving MPs ‘unreasonable’ - Dr. Amoako Baah

Political science lecturer, Dr. Richard Amoako Baah says he is against calls to ‘protect’ some Members of Parliament who are tagged as ‘experienced MPs’.

He described the idea as ‘unreasonable’ in an interview on NEAT FM’s morning show ‘Ghana Montie’.

“If we protect them would those calling for that be in parliament today?” he questioned.

His comment comes at the back of Majority Leader, Hon. Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu's call for some mechanisms in place to maintain experienced MPs after Forty (40) incumbent NPP MPs lost their primaries last Saturday.

Some of the casualties had served only one term in office, and, according to the Majority Leader, he hoped the situation would improve to help strengthen democratic dispensation.

Majority Leader Bemoans Loss Of Experienced NPP MPs

Mr. Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, the Majority Leader and Minister of Parliamentary Affairs, has described as a setback to the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) the defeat of some experienced Members of Parliament (MPs) in their recent primaries.

“The longer one stays in Parliament, the better a material he or she becomes,” he said in an interview at Suame, after an acclamation to confirm him as the parliamentary candidate for the Constituency.

Bigwigs chairing notable committees in Parliament and who succumbed to new entrants included Mr. Ben Abdallah, MP for Offinso-South and Chairman of Parliament’s Legal Affairs Committee, as well as Mr. Collins Owusu-Amankwaah, MP for Manhyia North and Chairman of Parliament’s Government Assurances Committee.

Others are Dr. Mark Assibey Yeboah, MP for New Juaben South and Chairman of Parliament’s Finance Committee, and Mr. Alex Agyekum, MP for Mpohor and Chairman of Parliament’s Youth and Sports Committee, and Mr. Daniel Okyem Aboagye, MP for Bantama and a Government’s Spokesperson on Finance.

Mr. Kwabena Owusu Aduomi, MP for Ejisu and Deputy Minister of Roads and Highways, as well as Mr. Joseph Kofi Adda, MP for Navrongo Central and Minister of Aviation, all lost the bidding to represent their people in the next Parliament.