Mr. Doe Ajaho, Minority Chief Whip and MP for Avenor, said on New Year Day that the requirement for a quorum in Parliament before any serious work could be done was a draw back to Parliamentary work.He said the work of a Parliamentarian was not confined only to Parliament, hence the need to adopt the practices in other parts of the world where MPs engaged in other important national assignment were only needed in the House, if they had to vote on an issue.
The Minority Chief Whip was contributing to a symposium on Majority and Minority relations in Parliament, prescription for good governance at the 53rd annual New Year School, organised by the Institute of Adult Education at the University of Ghana, Legon."When I sit in my house and receive visitors from my constituency, do I have to throw them away because it is 10:00 am and go to Parliament, then go back to them during elections to seek their mandate, it is not possible," he said.
Mr. Ajaho also called on MPs in the majority to avoid the temptation of regarding themselves as part of the executive, saying it makes it impossible for them to perform their roles as major players in good governance."Unfortunately these are some of the dangerous signs that we are seeing in our parliament," he said.
He said, the people have demanded that parliamentarians change the manner in which they conduct politics and "If we do not heed this warning, the public, at large will lose confidence in parliament and politicians and indeed, the whole democratic process." Mr. Ajaho said the effective instrument that could oblige government to control itself is the minority
He said co-operation, consultation, compromise and consensus building should guide the relationship between the majority and minority.The worse scenario or the greatest threat to any democratic process in a country is for the minority to give in to over bearing executive power.The Minority Chief Whip said the minority had supported efforts by civil society to introduce the freedom of information Bill in Parliament.
