In its assessment of the first meeting of the first session of Parliament, the African Center for Parliamentary Affairs (ACEPA), has commended the House for some key decisions it took.

One of such decisions, according to the Centre, is the rejection of a ¢77 million cut in the budget estimate presented by the Judiciary and Judicial Service, as well as over ¢119 million from the estimate of the Legislature.

Speaking to Citi News, the Executive Director of the African Center for Parliamentary Affairs, Dr. Rasheed Draman, commended the Speaker of Parliament, Mr. Alban Bagbin, for insisting on the full budgetary allocation for the House from the Executive.

However, he rebuked the House for what he called the “noise” which characterized the vetting and the subsequent approval of President Akufo-Addo’s ministerial appointments.

“We saw for the first time, the Speaker of Parliament asserting the right of Parliament in demanding its proportionate budget allocation based on the situation of the country, and we saw the Executive agreeing to the demands of Parliament. This is the first time we have seen this in the last 28 years of Ghana’s democracy. There is no Parliament that can function without adequate resources that it controls.”

“Over the years, we have seen the Executive controlling the resources and sometimes Parliament goes cup in hand to the Ministries and agencies that they supervise for them to fund their activities. The low I think was the noise that the ministerial appointment got and the contradictions that characterized the stance of the NDC.”

Dr. Rasheed Draman also expressed his expectations of the House which resumed on Tuesday after recess.

“The expectation is that we will see Parliament working very closely and very carefully with a strategic plan, and making sure that whatever is in the strategic plan, is what will guide the workings of Parliament. So that way, things would be structured, and the beautiful ideas that are in the strategic plan when implemented will make our Parliament look different from what it is now.”

Parliament reconvened from recess on Tuesday, May 25, 2021, for its second meeting of the first session of the 8th Parliament of the fourth Republic.