The Member of Parliament for the Asawase constituency in the Ashanti region, Muntaka Mubarak, has cautioned against double standards in parliamentary proceedings following recent events where the Supreme Court overruled a decision made by the Speaker of Parliament.
Speaking with EIB’s head of the political desk, Ibrahim Alhassan, the MP said that Parliament is guided by three things: the constitution, standing orders, and institutional forbears. According to him, institutional forbears are not necessarily laid-down guides and principles but are essentially the way things have been done and have worked over time.
He stated, “These institutional forbears are things that help you to work, not necessarily because they are legal or illegal, but because they have always helped you to work. Anytime you try to deviate from them, you will be creating problems for yourself.”
He made this statement in light of recent events where the Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, declared four seats vacant based on a precedent set by former Speaker Mike Ocquaye.
The MP claimed that in the 7th Parliament when the New Patriotic Party had an overwhelming majority, there had been some form of abuse of power, which subsequently led to a decline in respect for the way things are done in Parliament. He further stated, in relation to former Speaker Mike Ocquaye’s declaration of the Fomena seat vacant, “I remember very well that at that time, many of us in leadership said that it was not right.”
Muntaka Mubarak’s major concern involves the double standards seen today in Ghana’s politics and specifically in parliamentary proceedings. He made this abundantly clear when he said in the interview, “The things that we said when Professor Ocquaye did that, we are saying something different from what we said at that time.”
He also said that he could recount at least four instances where MPs decided to switch allegiances, and Parliament scaled quietly without the interference of the other arms of government. “When you leave your own practices, you will be digging yourself,” he said.
Muntaka Mubarak, in rounding up his statement on the recent happenings in Parliament, cautioned MPs and said, “When you are in opposition, you are potential people in government, so anything that you are doing, just know that when you are in government, it will be played back to you. So let’s be careful about the things that we do. You have to be stringent and be careful so that you are not seen as double-standard individuals.”
The MP further iterated that in carrying out their duties, the House should have the interest of the state as well as the survival of the institution in mind so that it can last long and withstand challenges such as this.
