Parliament moves to avoid disconnection from the people

The Public Affairs Department (PAD) of Parliament has signalled a move towards enhanced information flow to prevent disconnection between the people and the House.

Ms. Kate Addo, the Head of the Department, said the focus was to get the people to keenly follow its activities and to deepen their understanding of the work of the legislature.

She was speaking at two-day workshop held in Koforidua to plan effective communication strategies to bring parliament closer to the people.

It was organized by the Department with support from the Westminster Foundation for Democracy (WFD) – a United Kingdom (UK) organization, which has been promoting democratic practices.

Ms. Addo hinted of increasing use of social media to reach out to different sectors of the society – to make sure that the people did not become cut off from what had been happening in the country’s parliament.

This, she indicated, was vital to the growth of the nation’s democratic governance.

The Director of Research Department of Parliament, Mr. Mohammed Hardi, said more should be done to boost its image.

He highlighted the need to assist the people to have better understanding of the role and duties of the parliamentarian.

Mr. Fulvio Menghini, Head of the Communications of WFD, noted that the use of social media would tremendously help the PAD to breakdown boundaries and communicate even with Ghanaians, abroad.

There were many people living outside the country, interested in the affairs of parliament, and they could be assisted to follow what was happening through the social media platform of parliament.

Its effective use could help the PAD to explain and simplify complex issues on the floor of the house to make these understandable to the ordinary citizens.