Avoid partisanship and resort to consensus building for Ghana’s sake – Bawumia to MPs
Legislators have been advised by Ghana’s Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia to put aside their political differences and push for Ghana’s development.
Dr Bawumia bemoans how entrenched political positions on national issues taken in Ghana’s legislature have led to nothing but acrimony and scuffles.
After the fiercely contested 2020 polls, Ghana’s fourth Republic was faced with what was essentially a hung legislature.
Per the standings now, the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) won 137 seats each, with one independent MP.
“The current composition of Ghana’s Parliament is not exclusively unique to us. It is certainly indicative of a voter population that desires consensus building for a unified political force rather than the divisive overly partisan winner-takes all intolerant system which unfortunately still remains in many African countries,” he said.
The Vice President gave the word of advice at the 82nd Executive Committee meeting of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association of Africa.
He also cautioned that manipulating constitutional provisions to serve sectional political interests should not under any circumstances be encouraged among them as representatives of the people.
Dr Bawumia was of the view that such actions only undermine the integrity of our nations, apart from eroding the gains we make as a people.
He further called on the MPs, as trustees of the people’s mandate, “to jealously guard our democratic gains since they are directly in contact with the constituents at all times.”
