MPs Should Not Be Ministers - - Professor Bondzi-Simpson

Allowing Members of Parliament to be made Ministers of State does not make them effective in carrying out their responsibilities.

The Rector of the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA), Prof. Philip Ebow Bondzi-Simpson, therefore wants an amendment to Article 78 (1) of the 1992 Constitution since this constitutional provision makes it difficult for MPs who double as ministers to concentrate on their work to deliver on their mandate to their constituents and effectively carry out the government duties.

Prof Bondzi-Simpson made this observation in a keynote address at the maiden "Constitution Day" Public Lecture in Accra. The event was organised by the Ministry of Information, under the theme: Constitutionalism in Ghana's Forth Republic towards Functional Performance.

The Day signals the Birth of the Fourth Republic, which marks significant milestone in the history of Ghana's constitutional democracy. It also reminds Ghanaians of their collective commitment to a regime of uninterrupted constitutional order.

In his view, MPs should be allowed to focus on their core mandate, adding that there are equally competent people who could handle the various Ministerial positions.

"MPs should not be Ministers. There is so much business to be done for the people who are so much hungry for development," he stated.

The Rector also proposed that there should be a freeze on the ever-increasing number of constituencies in the country and also allocate seats for the various regions according to their population with quality legislators who would not be silent on developmental issues in Parliament.

On the significance of the Day, Prof. Bondzi-Simpson said that the occasion should not only be limited to a Public Lecture in Accra alone but rather be celebrated across every constituency in the country with stakeholder participation and the general Public.

He said, the day should be observed with sober reflection of efforts at nationhood, with district-level public education to re-orient and rededicate ourselves to public service.

The day has been set aside by the government as a Constitution Day to celebrate the country's enviable democracy feats and also as a reminder of the 1992 Forth Republican Constitution.

It is declared as a Public Holiday because of its great significance in the history of this nation.

ISD: Solace Esi Amankwa

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