Speaker of Parliament, Alban S.K. Bagbin, has stressed the critical role of private member’s bills in democratic governance.
According to him, the private member’s bill initiative has brought significant benefits and has been crucial for the democratic development of the country.
He was addressing a Town Hall meeting and Public Lecture on the Private Member’s Bill at the University of Ghana organized by PNAfrica on Tuesday, July 17.
The Speaker applauded the efforts of former Speaker Aaron Michael Oquaye for implementing the initiative in Ghana’s Parliament.
A private Member’s Bill is proposed legislation introduced by a Member of Parliament (MP) in their capacity as MP, which is distinct from a Public Bill introduced by a minister of state on behalf of the executive.
Although the 1992 Constitution does not expressly confer power for the enactment of a Private Member’s Bill, there are sufficient provisions in the Constitution that impliedly confer this power. These provisions include Articles 93(2), 108, 22(2) and 185(3).
The Private Member’s Bill is an entrenched feature of most parliaments in the Commonwealth: New Zealand, Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom, India, Norway, Nigeria, and Kenya.
Over the years, Ghana’s Parliament has felt restrained by Article 108(a) of the Constitution in exercising its powers to enact Private Member’s Bills.
However, this position changed in June 2020, when the House passed a resolution to commence the passing of Private Member’s Bills.
Speaker Bagbin, however, pointed out the financial and logistical challenges of processing private member bills and stressed the significant cost involved in organizing stakeholder consultations for expert inputs into such bills.
According to him, Ghana lacks the developed lobbyist system seen elsewhere across the world where groups can finance the introduction of Private Member’s Bills by training MPs on the relevant matters.
This, he said, creates hurdles for MPs who need resources to advocate for their bills and called for greater support from civil society
