It’s bad that the political parties wield too much power over their MPs – Kpebu

Private legal practitioner Martin Kpebu has said it is unhealthy for the political parties to be wielding so much power over their Members of Parliament.

He says the enormous power of the parties over their legislators makes the lawmakers docile. He called for an amendment to the Parliament Act that gives power to the parties over their caucuses in the House.

“The power that the parties wield over their MPs is unhealthy, it is the law we have, and the law is giving them too much power under the Parliament Act.

His comments come after the Speaker of Parliament Alban Bagbin clarified that the political parties still have the power to lead the process of appointing or delegating leaders of the caucuses in the House.

The Speaker said that is the position of both the old and new standing orders hence he does not understand the source of confusion.

The parties still lead the process of appointing or changing leaders of the caucuses in Parliament – Speaker

Speaking in Parliament on Wednesday, February 21, he said “I know that the parties are having problems with this new definition of leaders, that is only where this confusion is coming from. The old order refers to party or parties but this new one is not referring to the party but caucuses.  The old order defines the Majority Leader to mean a member of Parliament designated by the party or parties holding the Majority of the seats in the House, and they are recognized leaders in the House.

“This new order says Majority Leader means an MP designated by the Majority caucus, as their leader in the house. Designate means appoint. Now, the same standing order talks about the majority caucus and it says majority caucus means the members of the party or parties that have the largest number of seats in the House. I really don’t see the difference, it is still talking about the same thing, because the caucus is a party’s wing, that is the wing of the party in Parliament, and you cannot be talking about designating or appointing your leaders without the party leading the process.  I don’t understand that, Majority caucus means members of the party or parties that have the largest number of seats in the house and so if you come as a new house, you scarcely even know each other and then you are asked to go and appoint your leader, without the party how are you going to do it?  It is the party that has given you the platform to come to this house, you come on the ticket of the party and to appoint your leader the party leads the process, I don’t know how you can do it without the party.

“You know at this stage of our parties this will be controlled by some parochial interest but there are constitutional provisions including legislative provisions that bind the parties and compel parties to be national in character and so the face of the party which is usually the leadership of the caucus must show that national character. If you leave it to the caucus alone, you are likely to face challenges. So I am not really in support of interpretations saying it is the members of the caucus that should designate, it is not talking about electing, it says the members of the caucus should appoint the leader or leaders of their caucus. It is a matter that I will come out with written reasons for this house but in the meantime, this is the position of the speaker, and I do so under the same standing orders where if there is a doubt it is the speaker’s opinion that prevails. Anybody that disagrees with that you have your front to proceed to the proper venue to contest my opinion.

“If you disagree with me you proceed to court and get that changed but as at now this is binding on all of you and the parties so there should not be any confusion at all, the party is still in control and the party will lead the process of designating or appoint the leaders of the caucus in the House.”

His comments come at a time the First Deputy Speaker of Parliament Joseph Osei Owusu (Joewise) said the new Standing Orders of Parliament placed the power to change the leadership of both the Majority and the Minority into the hands of only the caucus and no one else outside of Parliament.

“The Parliament of Ghana has adopted standing orders that place the selection and change or otherwise of leadership in the hands of the caucus and not anybody inside parliament,’ he said but this comment attracted the clarification of the standing orders from the Speaker.