Parliament to include media in Committee Meetings

Accra, Nov. 05, GNA - Mr Alban Sumani Bagin, Majority leader, has suggested to chairpersons of the various Select Committees in Parliament to include the media in their meetings.

This, he said, would give members of the media an idea of the proceedings of their meetings to enable them to appreciate how deliberations were done without partisan colouration. Mr Bagbin gave this suggestion when Mr Barton Oduro, Deputy Attorney General, laid the Interpretation Bill for the second time. He said the exclusion of the media from committee meetings gave the impression that the meetings were held in secrecy. The Interpretation Bill seeks to amend and consolidate the law relating to the operation, construction and interpretation of enactments and for other related matters.

He said the media, that was hitherto not allowed to sit in Committee meetings, was a strong stakeholder in the entrenchment of democracy, whose inclusion gave them a better picture of proceedings, and adequately equipped them to inform and educate the public.

Mr Bagbin however cautioned that, when approved, the media would only be allowed to sit in and not to participate in the deliberations since they were not members of those committees.

He said Parliament would soon establish a Legal and Research Services Department that would research into all the bills and give orientation to members before they were laid in before the House. The Majority leader said the establishment of the Department would require the amendment of the Parliamentary Service Act which would empower members to exhibit a high level and standardized proceedings devoid of foul and 'un-parliamentary' language.

He said members did not take partisan positions at committee levels and it was worth allowing the media to cover such proceedings in order to strike the difference between debates on the floor of the House and committee meetings.

Mr Oduro commended the House for its objectivity and expressed the hope that the Interpretation Bill would be passed in subsequent deliberations to pave way for effective entrenchment of democracy in the country. 05, Nov. 09