19 MPs never spoke in Ghana’s parliament

• Posted on January 25, 2017
• by Nana Kwesi Coomson
• Comment

A STUDY conducted by Civil Organisation called Odekro has named Deputy Majority Leader of Parliament Sarah Adwoa Safo, Assin Central Member of Parliament (MP) Ken Agyapong and former Navrongo Central MP Mark Woyongo among 50 worse performing legislators in the sixth parliament.

The report also cites the Deputy Majority Leader, who is also MP for Dome Kwabenya, and Mr Agyapong as having made zero contributions in the House, while Mr Woyongo scored 18.12 percent

On attendance, all three MPs scored 40 percent.

The report also listed MP for Nsawam Adoagyiri, Frank Annoh-Dompreh, MP for Kpone Katamanso, Nii Laryea Afotey Agbo, and former Ledzokuku MP Benita Sena Okity-Duah, among the worst performing MPs.

For a House that demands members to talk and debate issues of policy, the report named former Dadekotopon MP Nii Amasah Namoale, former Savelugu MP Mary Salifu Boforo and former Jomoro MP Francis Anaman as silent MPs.

These MPs did not make a single statement or contribution during the entire four-year tenure of the sixth Parliament.

However, the report names Majority Leader, Osei Kyei Mensah Bonsu, Tamale South MP, Haruna Iddrisu and Nadoli Kaleo MP Alban Bagbin as best performing MPs.

Asawase MP, Muntaka Mubarak, Old Tafo MP Dr Anthony Akoto Osei and Bawku Central MP, Mahama Ayariga also made the best performing MPs list.

In all, the report states that only 52 MPs, representing 18.9 percent  of the total number of 275 contributed to amendments of the over 81 bills approved by Parliament within the period.

Also about 73 MPs were absent without permission while 28 never absented themselves without permission.

Content Manager of Odekro, Lolan Sagoe-Moses, told journalists at the launch that even though a large number of MPs made statements on the floor of Parliament and about half of them asked questions, only 52 of them contributed tangibly to law-making.

He described the trend as disturbing and added that when the  organization sought to find out the reasons for the trend, “we found out that half of the 52 MPs who contributed to bills were leaders of parliament, that is, chairpersons of committees as well as majority and minority leaders.”

Mr Sagoe-Moses said this could be as a result of the order of precedence and how it limits or provides opportunities to some MPs to contribute to Bills.

“We will require some more research to say that for a fact. Another possible reason could be the language barrier,” he said.