Mr Ras Mubarak, a former Member of Parliament for Kumbungu from the National Democratic Congress (NDC), has petitioned the Speaker of Parliament to enforce constitutional requirements on absentee MPs.
He said it was past time for Mr Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin to use Article 97 (1) C of the Constitution and Standing Order 16(1) of Parliament to report those MPs to the Privileges Committee.
He said it had been discovered via Parliament’s Hansard and media reports that four New Patriotic Party (NPP) MPs had been away from Parliament for more than 15 sittings of Parliament without the Speaker’s written authorization.
Sarah Adwoa Safo, MP for Dome-Kwabenya; Henry Quartey, MP for Ayawaso Central; Ebenezer Kojo Kum, MP for Ahanta West; and Ken Ohene Agyapong, MP for Assin Central are the members of Parliament.
“In light of this alleged violation of the Constitution, I humbly beg your high office to request that their behavior be brought to the Privileges Committee for review and appropriate action,” he stated.
Committee on Privileges
“In light of this alleged infraction of the constitutional requirement, I sincerely beg your high office to request that their behavior be submitted to the Privileges Committee for examination and required action,” Mr Mubarak stated in a plea to the Speaker on March 2, 2022.
The former MP recounted that during the Seventh Parliament, the residents of Lower West Akyem went almost two years without representation in Parliament because their then-MP had missed more than 15 sittings of various sessions of Parliament without the Speaker’s written authorization.
Mr Mubarak said that the House leadership at the time ignored the MP’s absence, despite the fact that his actions were in violation of the 1992 Constitution and Standing Order 16(1) of the Standing Orders of Parliament.
“The Standing Orders of Parliament are unclear as to who may or should bring the issue of absence to the House floor for discussion and/or referral to the Committee on Privileges by Mr Speaker.”
“However, it is incidents like these that, if left unaddressed, endanger our democracy,” he warned.
Image with a dent
Mr Mubarak used Afrobarometer data to claim that faith in Parliament had declined by 12% between 2002 and 2019.
According to the research, Parliament is the third most corrupt institution in the nation, after only the police and courts, he claimed.
“I sincerely propose that democracy can only function if Parliament prioritizes the general good above party and personal gain.”
“At a time when faith in politics and Parliament as an institution seems to be eroding, it is my earnest hope that the House will rise to the occasion and unify on this issue in order to protect our Constitution and restore waning public confidence,” he said.