We have not benefited from the hung parliament – Okudzeto Ablakwa

The Member of Parliament for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has said that he is dissatisfied with the performance of the current hung parliament in the country.

According to him, this kind of parliament has not delivered up to the expectation of many who had faith.

Meanwhile the Speaker of the House, Alban Bagin, said to him, the hung parliament is the best thing to have happened in the history of legislation in Ghana hence it should be repeated.

But speaking on a Metro TV show on Friday, December 22, 2023, Ablakwa highlighted instances where, in his view, exposed the weaknesses of Ghana’s democracy within the context of a hung parliament.

“The view is out there about the hung parliament. I also, like many Ghanaians, had high expectations with the very competitive numbers but I think that the hung parliament has rather exposed the ills of our democracy,” he said.

He referenced an incident in parliament where the approval of the budget for the finance ministry became a contentious issue.

According to him, the first deputy speaker who was presiding, suspended the sitting when it became apparent that the minority had the budget.

However, during the suspension, the house was quickly reconveyed when the majority had the numbers, and despite objections, the finance ministry’s budget was approved.

“An instance happened in court yesterday. The first deputy speaker is in the chair and he notices that the budget for the finance ministry will not be approved because the minority side had it. Our side was more than our colleagues in the majority. Then he immediately suspended sitting and as we were on suspension, the house was quickly reconveyed and they, seeing that a lot of our colleagues had not returned, asked that we commence business. The house was suspended for an hour and just after 30 mins the speaker arrived and reconveyed the house. Despite the atrocities we raised about the finance ministry’s budget, it was approved,” he added.

Ablakwa also pointed to the handling of the 2024 budget, noting that when the majority realized they lacked the numbers, they staged a walkout, leaving the matter unresolved.

He criticised the lack of consistency in the decisions of the house and called for introspection.

“In the case of the 2024 budget, when they saw that they didn’t have the numbers, they staged a walkout and left the matter still hanging. We waited for a whole week for everybody on the majority side to return, when they were comfortable, the question about the approval was not put before the house. When you look at these, honestly, this is not the solution. The kind of hope and belief that we had that this hung parliament would redefine our democracy and we will serve the national interest is not being met,” he stated.

To him, it is time for parliament to relook at the concept of a hung parliament again to enable them to serve the country better.

“I think that after three years of this kind of parliament, going into our last year, we need to carry out an introspection. We should acknowledge that there are no consistencies when it comes to the decisions of the house. We should be more up and doing also,” he added.