Speaker of Parliament, Alban Kingsford Sumana Bagbin, has given the assurance that Parliament will not frustrate the business of the Executive.
According to the Speaker, the House will not compromise its positive relationship with the other arms of government in the quest to strengthen its independence.
Mr Alban Bagbin noted that he has built a healthy and fruitful relationship with President Akufo-Addo since his election as Speaker of the 8th Parliament, adding that a cordial relationship also exists between him and Chief Justice Kwasi Anin-Yeboah.
“While efforts are made to strengthen the independence of Parliament to give Ghanaians the true sense of the democracy that they voted for, Parliament will not work to frustrate the business of the Executive.
“As a fact, immediately after my election as Speaker of Parliament through the initiative of the President, I have built a healthy and fruitful working relationship with H. E. Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, the President of the Republic of Ghana. I have also reached out to the Chief Justice and I’m happy with the harmonious working relationship we have established between the Legislature and the Judiciary.”
The Speaker made the submission when the Millenium Excellence Foundation conferred a special award on him at a special sitting of the House for his dedication to duty on Monday, July 26.
He added, “The synergy this has generated in the working relations of national leadership, translates into the successes, that we have achieved in resolving very delicate and thorny issues that from time to time, confront our dear nation.”
Earlier this year, the Executive and Legislature had a friendly confrontation after President Akufo-Addo decided to slash budget estimates for the Judiciary and the Legislature.
President Akufo-Addo, through his Executive Secretary, Nana Asante Bediatuo, announced to the Speaker, a GH¢77 million slash in the estimate presented by the Judiciary and Judicial Service and over GH¢119 million from the estimate of the Legislature.
But Alban Sumana Bagbin during the presentation of the 2021 budget statement, directed the Interim Finance Minister Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu and the Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, who was present, to convey the message to the President, that any slash in the budget estimates for the two institutions, will not be entertained.
In the end, the President rescinded his decision.
Meanwhile, Speaker Alban Bagbin, has announced Parliament is opening up more to the public and will soon set up a Petitions Committee to deal with concerns of the public.
He also stated that the revised Standing Orders is before the House to provide further arguments for public-Parliament engagement.
“New provisions have been included in the new Standing Orders to open up Parliament and make our work more transparent and understandable to the people.
“To this end, a Petitions Committee will be constituted to create the platform for channelling petitions to the House while access to proceedings of Committees will be made easy by reason of the fact that committees of the House will generally sit in public except under exceptional circumstances where they will sit in camera,” he stated
Source:myjoyonline.com