The Executive Director of the African Center for Parliamentary Affairs (ACEPA), Dr. Rasheed Draman, has expressed doubt that Parliament will effectively sanction absentee Members of Parliament (MPs) unless Speaker Alban Bagbin adopts a more radical approach to enforcing attendance rules.
Speaking on Joy FM’s Newsnight on Wednesday, October 29, Dr. Draman said while the Speaker has the constitutional authority to act against absentee MPs, past efforts have failed because members of the Privileges Committee, who are themselves MPs, often find it difficult to hold their colleagues accountable.
“People have to be heard, and once you violate that rule in the Standing Orders and the Constitution, the matter is referred to the Privileges Committee. But it looks like we’ve reached a point where MPs on that committee cannot look their colleagues in the face and say, ‘You’ve broken the law, so your seat is declared vacant,’” Dr. Draman explained.
He observed that absenteeism in Parliament is not a new issue, noting that every Speaker since the Fifth Parliament has raised concerns about chronic absenteeism without meaningful results.
“This issue has been with us for years. Every Speaker after Speaker has complained about it, yet nothing has really happened,” he lamented.
Dr. Draman proposed that Ghana could consider reforming the composition of the Privileges Committee, allowing it to include eminent citizens outside Parliament who can sit in judgment over breaches by MPs, ensuring impartiality and stronger enforcement.
“Maybe it’s time to look at what happens in other countries, where such committees include respected citizens, not just MPs. If we leave this in the hands of MPs alone, it’s not going to happen unless the Speaker takes a very firm and radical stance,” he said.
His comments follow Speaker Alban Bagbin’s stern warning to MPs earlier this week to attend sittings regularly or risk having their seats declared vacant, in accordance with Article 97(1)(c) of the 1992 Constitution.
Dr. Draman emphasised that for the Speaker’s warning to have real impact, Parliament must demonstrate the political will to enforce its own rules, even when doing so affects sitting members.