Mahama Ayariga, the Member of Parliament for Bawku Central, has defended the expenses associated with recalling Parliament, underscoring the critical democratic value such sessions provide.
In an interview on the Citi Breakfast Show with host Caleb Kudah on Friday, November 8, Ayariga addressed public concerns about the costs, reportedly amounting to at least GH¢1 million per recall.
Ayariga argued that these expenses are a modest investment in sustaining Ghana’s constitutional democracy, emphasizing that the alternative—a military regime or dictatorship—would be far more damaging to the country’s progress and stability.
The debate over these expenditures was initially raised by Tamale Central MP, Ibrahim Murtala Mohammed, who revealed that each parliamentary recall costs Ghana around GH¢1 million.
This disclosure sparked national discussions on the financial prudence of such costs, especially given Ghana’s ongoing economic challenges.
Concerns intensified following Speaker Alban Bagbin’s decision to adjourn Parliament indefinitely on Thursday, November 7, prompting members of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) to question whether the expenses of such recalls are justifiable, given their strain on state resources.
In response, Ayariga defended the costs as essential to maintaining democratic principles. He asserted that the act of convening Parliament, even at substantial cost, is integral to upholding Ghana’s democratic values.
According to Ayariga, these sessions allow representatives to engage in critical debates that shape national governance and protect citizens’ rights, making the expenditure worthwhile in the pursuit of a stable and constitutional government.
“You cannot place value on when the constitution is protected, when the constitution is defended and when people stand up to make sure that we imbibe the appropriate constitutional culture that should inform the governance of this country.
“You cannot place monetary value and calculate and say this is how much it costs and so when a practice takes place, it might appear to have cost money but we know what it costs us to live under military regimes.
“We now have a constitution and it says Parliament can be convened and Parliament can adjourn and people have the right to demand that it should be convened and this is how we go about it and all that will cost money, but it is far better than military rule and dictatorship, and so you cannot place real monetary value on it.”
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