Ghana’s Parliament on Thursday constituted an adhoc committee to draft a code of conduct for members of parliament (MPs).
The code is to set standards for the MPs in accordance with international best practices. It will re-inforce the privileges of the members and how the public would relate to them.
The adhoc committee is chaired by Mr Alban Sumani Bagbin, Member for Nadowli Kaleo and Mr Joe Ghartey, Second Deputy Speaker, as Consultant.
Other members are: Mr Ahmed Ibrahim, Member for Banda, Ms Laadi Ayii Ayamba, MP for Pusiga, George Kofi Arthur, MP for Amenfi Central, Papa Owusu Ankoma, MP for Sekondi and Ignatius Baffour Awuah, Sunyani West.
Mr Dominic Nitiwul, Deputy Minority Leader said the code comes with a lot of responsibility as members would have to live up to the standards by which would the public would use to measure them.
He noted that the standing orders provide the guide as to how members should behave in the House but the code of conduct goes beyond it.
Mr Haruna Iddrisu, Minister of Trade and Industry said the code is long overdue, citing Chapter 24, Article 284 of the 1992 Constitution.
He said there is an erosion of public confidence in members.
Mr Afred Agbesi, Deputy Majority leader said it is a welcome motion because many constituents do not know what members are expected to do.
Mr Ghartey, Second Deputy Speaker said the Commission of Human Rights and Administrative Justice has its own guidelines which other institutions could use as a guide in their code of conduct but for Parliament to adopt it would be in conflict.
He said he drafted the code of conduct for Sierra Leone Parliament
Mr Edward Doe Adjaho, Speaker of Parliament said all civilised Parliaments have code of conduct and Ghana’s Parliament cannot be left out.
Source: GNA
This is long overdue and long time coming. A lot of the nonse will never happen in countries overseas.