New standing orders could create room for reprisal in 9th Parliament – Muntaka

Mubarak Muntaka, Member of Parliament for Asawase Constituency, has said the new standing orders of Parliament, adopted in January this year, could allow unhelpful political attacks in the House.

He expressed his disturbance over how business is conducted in the current Parliament and voiced concerns about the potential implications if the balance of power remains as narrow as it presently is.

“With this acrimonious environment, I’m doubting whether it will help us because then [lawmakers would say] ‘this is the committee that we can use to cause havoc’ instead of ‘this is a committee that we can use to demand more oversight, making sure things are done.’ Now it becomes a tool for you-do-me-I-do-you, that kind of ping pong thing,” he averred.

He warned that if the House is not “careful,” the new standing orders could derail parliamentary work by creating “more difficulty.”

“Especially if whoever wins, I’m very hopeful that the National Democratic Congress (NDC) will win, but we must win with a very, very majority like in 2017 when President Nana Addo had a super comfortable majority,” the seasoned lawmaker explained, offering his perspective on the dynamics for stability.

The new standing orders of Parliament have increased the number of standing committees in the legislature and provided the minority with considerable influence, including the gavel of the Assurance Committee.