Every MP should have an exit plan - Former MP

The Former Member of Parliament for Offinso-South Ben Abdallah Banda has advised Members of Parliament to have an exit plan when they enter the House.

The MP who lost in the primaries of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) before the 2020 parliamentary elections said no MP should see the MP position as a profession and must be there at all cost.

He explained that anything could happen and because voters are the ones who decide to elect their MPs, legislators should have that realization.

He said when MPs do not have an exit plan, they would be shocked when they are voted out from the House.

“Every MP should plan his or her exit. They should have an exit plan as soon as they enter. Have an exit plan in your first term, if you get lucky and you are retained, plan your exit in your second term.”

Meanwhile, he has bemoaned the attrition rate in the House where experienced MPs are voted out from the House.

Ps with institutional memory he opined should not be voted out.

He said that just as Alban Bagbin and Kyei Mensah are commended for their work based on their long stay in the House, we would have to find ways to protect other experienced MPs in the House.

He stressed MPs who are good and ready to help their constituents should be granted the opportunity to stay longer in the House.

“We have to address the attrition rate in Parliament. It is not the best. Parliament is also an interesting place and you would have to be hardworking to survive in the House.”

To him, Parliament is more than a university because you get the opportunity to learn a lot.