Parliament reconvenes

Accra, Jan 24, GNA - Parliament on Tuesday resumed sitting after the Christmas break, with the Speaker of the House Joyce Bamford-Addo, urging the parliamentarians to be circumspective in their discourse on the floor of the House.

He said the political barometer is surging with the approach of the December 7 General Election.

“Already there are simmering indications of this thick politically charged cloud moving around us but at least thankfully, not in the House,” she said.

“Let us bury the political hatchet once we are in the House since our overriding concern, as I always say, is the national interest,” she said at the first sitting of the first meeting in the Fourth session of the Fifth Parliament of the Fourth Republic.

Mrs Bamford-Addo exhorted members to “be the forerunners preaching the peace and the need for the consolidation of the democratic culture and all that it entails to the people of Ghana”.

She encouraged them to cooperate to carry out the business of the House, even with the usual disagreements that characterised debates.

The speaker appealed to the leadership of both sides of the House to ensure that Parliament proceeded “as a body with a common purpose”.

She also urged the parliamentary staff and the Press corps to exhibit maturity and professional competence throughout the period of intense political activity.

“There may be some few challenges in the course of your work but all are entreated without hesitation to use the laid down channels for seeking solution or redress” she said.

The leadership of both sides of the House pledged their commitment to ensure the business of Parliament is carried out professionally and competently.