The Speaker of Parliament, Mr Alban Kingsford Bagbin, Tuesday led Members of the House to recite the National Pledge at the commencement of the Eighth Parliament of the Fourth Republic of Ghana, a prelude to the implementation of the new Standing Orders of the House.
The Members of Parliament (MPs) also underwent a roll call exercise before the start of the day’s proceedings.
Mr Bagbin explained that; “The National Pledge will be recited by Members of Parliament at the first Sitting of every week in a Meeting.”
Further, all these modifications in the new Standing Orders would also introduce a requirement for heads of state or institutions to directly appear before Parliament to address queries related to their agencies.
While the old Standing Orders allowed Ministers of State to represent heads of institutions during question time on the Floor of the House, the new Standing Orders of Parliament would not permit that anymore.
Standing Orders are essentials that regulate the Parliamentary proceedings of a Meeting.
Addressing the Parliamentary Press Corps, Mr Ahmed Ibrahim, the First Deputy Minority Whip in Parliament, said independent bodies such as the Electoral Commission, Commission for Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) Boss, Governor of Bank of Ghana, National Commission for Civic Education, and the Auditor General would answer questions similar to that of Ministers on the Floor of the House.
“…Independent bodies like the Electoral Commission, the CHRAJ, the BoG governor, NCCE, and the Auditor General are going to be questioned just as we question ministers on the Floor and the mode of answering questions on the Floor has also been provided in the new Standing Orders,” he said.
The Eighth Parliament of the Fourth Republic of Ghana took office on January 7, 2021.
Parliament reconvened on Tuesday, February 6, 2024, after the Christmas recess to begin the final year of its four-year tenure.
