The Speaker of Parliament, Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin, has served discover that the House wouldn’t bow to the pressures of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) within the passage of legislations to fulfill its circumstances for the settlement with authorities for the US$3 billion prolonged credit score facility to Ghana.
The lengthy arm of the IMF, the Speaker mentioned, was everywhere in the funds together with the request for the Affirmative Action Bill to be handed below a certificates of urgency.
In his view, Ghana largely runs a authorities dictated from outaspect as a result of it was not financially unbiased to take its choices.
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“We are refusing to generate sources and depend upon others to feed us so he who pays the piper calls the tune. As I’ve indicated, even on this funds, you possibly can see the arm of the IMF in loads of the provisions.
“A critical bill like the Affirmative Action Gender Equality Bill has come to parliament under a certificate of urgency. It won’t happen. We won’t pass it under a certificate of urgency,” the Speaker careworn.
He gave this discover in Accra yesterday on the Speaker’s Breakquick Forum on the theme “Thirty Years of Parliamentary Democracy under the Fourth Republic: Reflections on Citizens Engagement and the Way Forward”.
The discussion board which introduced collectively Civil Society Organisations and unbiased constitutional our bodies was a part of actions to commemorate 30 years of uninterrupted parliamentary democracy within the Fourth Republic.
According to the Speaker, there have been crucial stakeholders which wanted to be consulted on the Bill which might outline gender and equality points for the nation in a few years to return and should not be rushed.
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“We will not be dictated to by the IMF. That one you can be sure. Not this Bill. This is a very critical bill that the IMF itself should know that we need the buy-in of stakeholders to be able to implement,” he mentioned.
He mentioned a decision of the Inter Parliamentary Union to which Ghana was a signatory had projected that by 2040, each parliament ought to have a gender parity of fifty:50; failure for similar means the defaulting nation can be demoted to a spectator standing and Ghana received’t be left behind.
“The IMF should know that the IPU has fixed 2040 for all parliaments in the world to reach gender parity and we need to deliberately focus on this and legitimise same in our law. We cannot under a certificate of urgency go through this one and get it properly positioned.”
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With a feminine inhabitants of 40 out of the 275 lawmakers within the present parliament, representing 14.5 per cent, Mr Bagbin mentioned Ghana had an extended option to go and “we won’t be passing laws under certificate of urgency (and be getting the flacks whilst those who impose them on parliament go unblemished). I think enough is enough. Your speaker will not give in to pressure.”
Chairperson of the STAR-Ghana Foundation, Parliament’s accomplice within the commemoration of the anniversary, Dr Esther Ofei-Aboagye, in her remarks, mentioned the significance of Parliament to Ghana’s democracy experiment couldn’t be underestimated as a result of “it is the ultimate expression of our citizenship”.
Commending Mr Bagbin for his stellar management since turning into the Speaker in 2021, she noticed that parliament has advanced consistent with its constitutional imperatives and wanted to be upheld.
“In spite of everything, we have a robust institution that gives us confidence for the way forward and my confidence has further been enhanced by the five pillars of engagement parliament seeks to employ in reaching out to the people,” she acknowledged.
The pillars, data, education, communication, consultation and participation, she mentioned, would deliver Parliament nearer to the citizenry.
BY JULIUS YAO PETETSI
