Ghana losing 64 experienced MPs not good for legislature and democracy — Bagbin

Alban Bagbin, the Speaker of Parliament, has voiced worry about the potential repercussions of losing seasoned legislators from both the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and the National Patriotic Party (NPP) on Ghana's legislature and democracy.

The NPP suffered a big blow as no fewer than forty-seven (47) 'experienced' lawmakers of the majority caucus won't be seen in the next Parliament of Ghana following their loss in the just-ended parliamentary primaries.

A total of 28 MPs have been unsuccessful in their attempts to secure a return to Parliament, indicating a change in the party's internal dynamics leading up to the 2024 general elections.

Already, nineteen MPs affiliated with the majority caucus of the NPP indicated that they will not be running for re-election in the parliamentary elections in 2024.

Bagbin speaking on the MPs exiting parliament called on all stakeholders, especially the political parties, to address this issue and prevent its recurrence to ensure that resources are not continually wasted.

He said Honourable members, as if the Black Stars’ performance was not bad enough, we woke up one Saturday, and by the evening, we had lost 28 MPs through the primaries of the NPP. Earlier last year, we lost 17 MPs through the primaries of the NDC. Honourable members, the primaries are part of the process for the electorates to determine who represents them in parliament. But the case of voluntary discontinuance of five and 19, followed by deselection of 17 and 28, is not a good signal for the legislature and for Ghana’s democratic development. Experience, as we all know, counts in this house, but the endorsement of your party is equally important.

According to him, Honourable members, the haemorrhage and cost to the nation, however, are matters of great concern worth considering by all stakeholders, and I want to appeal to the political parties to take this up seriously because the investment that is made in an individual MP is so huge for the nation just to go to waste after every four years.

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