Separate ministerial roles from parliamentary duties – Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu advocates

The Former Majority Leader for the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and MP for Suame, Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu has proposed that Members of Parliament who are given appointments to serve as members of the Cabinet must relinquish their seat as lawmakers.

The veteran MPs is advocating for a constitutional review that will require Members of Parliament who receive ministerial appointments to step down for fresh elections to be held for another representative in Parliament in their respective constituencies.

In a media engagement on TV3, the former Majority Leader mentioned that in the current situation where MPs do serve simultaneously as Ministers is impeding the progress of Ghana’s democracy.

In what he describes as “squared eggs in one bowl”, he highlighted that the double duties of these MPs do not allow the country to benefit enough from its democratic system due to some challans in the system.

“The full benefits of democracy, the democratic dividends are not inuring to us the way that we think we should be making those benefits which is why I go with the prescription that the time has come for us to decouple ministerial appointments from Parliament.

“If the president appoints a member of parliament as a minister and the person accepts it, there should be a vacancy in that regard or fresh elections to be conducted.

“People who go to parliament would want to be career Members of Parliament and if you are career members of Parliament, it would really help us,” he explained.

The former MP’s comments come at the time President John Mahama is announcing names of persons who will serve as Ministers and heads of state agencies to support him in his ‘Resetting Ghana’ agenda.

Amongst the list of appointees announced, some Members of Parliament have been appointed to head agencies like the Finance Ministry, Education Ministry, Roads Ministry and others.

To this, the former Majority Leader has proposed a constitutional review that will bar MPs from serving in dual capacities, one as an elected Member of Parliament, and the other as an appointed Cabinet Minister.

By: Novire Kuuyizie Francis.