Accra, Aug. 17, GNA - Mr Kofi Attor, Former Member of Parliament, on Wednesday expressed regret that the Committees of Parliament had lagged behind in their oversight responsibilities over Ministries as prescribed by the Constitution and Standing Orders of the House. He said the laxity was because most of the chairpersons of the Select Committees were part of the Executive thus hindering their ability to effectively supervise the activities of the Ministries. Mr Attor said Ghana's system of governance, which allowed a ruling party to appoint majority of Ministers of State from Parliament, also tied the hands of Committee Chairmen to conduct proper investigations into cases of malfeasance.
The Former MP for Ho Central was speaking in Accra at a training workshop for Parliamentary Clerks working with Committees.
It was organised by the Centre for Democratic Development and supported by USAID and focused on various topics including parliamentary practice and procedure, proposal writing and budget preparation.
Mr Attor said on the plus side, the Committees had positively promoted good interpersonal relations between members from the opposite sides as MPs had had to work and travel together in smaller numbers and thereby helping them to get to know each other better.
Mr Robert Apodolla, Deputy Clerk at the Table Office of Parliament, who spoke on: Parliamentary Practice and Procedure, said the term =93procedure=94 in Parliament meant the "codified part of practice, which comprises the standing orders and the statues. "The practice, on the other hand, is the un-codified part such as conventions and the rulings of the Chair.
"Parliamentary procedures protect the rights of the Minority against the
Majority, who may wish to adopt measures without adhering to practices and procedures of the House.=94
Mr Apodolla said: "They also protect the interests of the Majority against the Minority, who may wish to frustrate the wishes of the Majority by abusing the practices and procedures of the House." He said Parliamentary procedures denoted all processes, both written and unwritten, which enabled the institution of Parliament to conduct its business in an orderly manner and thus fulfilled its constitutional duty.
