Editorial: Watch these things, Parliament
Parliament holds the purse strings of the government. It also has oversight for the conduct of business by all public institutions.
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The legislative power of Ghana is also vested in Parliament. Our Legislature is, therefore, critical in developing the democratic culture.
It also determines the eligibility of many public office holders through the vetting process. The public, therefore, looks up to their representatives in Parliament to hold the government to account for the resources put at the government’s disposal.
The electorate have, on a number of occasions, criticised their MPs for coming together to defend causes that inure to their benefit but disagree vehemently when the party whip is applied.
Whether right or wrong, some members of the public believe that their elected representatives should share in the poverty burden of the country.
MPs are quick to call for sacrifices, demanding the tightening of belt by the people in most cases, while they have none, and even if they have, the belts are loose.
The record must, however, be set straight that MPs take loans to buy cars and rent accommodation whereas their counterparts in the Executive and Judiciary are given vehicles and accommodation by the state, although they are all classified under Article 71 of the Constitution.
In spite of the fact that majority of Ghanaians put on political lenses in looking at national issues, we think the country can make headway if the MPs exercise their power devoid of any personal or partisan consideration.
The government has been pushing an agenda for the patronage of Made-in-Ghana goods in recent times and also working on a local content policy such that our state institutions save scarce foreign exchange by buying local products.
The people expect the political class to lead the way in the enforcement of rules and regulations. After all, example, they say, is better than precepts.
Our MPs returned from recess last Tuesday to a refurbished chamber, digitised and fitted with new chairs.
But our pain with this progressive step is the fact that the furniture was purchased from China. We think that some of our compatriots have skills that could have been harnessed for the production of the furniture especially at a time we are struggling to raise foreign exchange for the stability of our cedi.
Again, three different delegations went to China, the United Kingdom and Italy to check the materials that were used for the refurbishment. We feel this is a waste of our scarce resources. Did we need to send such big numbers to go and satisfy ourselves of the quality of the items?
MPs are quick to call on the government to prioritise the expenditure of the state and we plead with them that anytime they have an opportunity to demonstrate how to prioritise our expenditure, they will always show the way.
Ghanaians expect their elected representatives to change their destinies for the better through the prudent use of our resources through the scrutiny of government actions, programmes and policies. They should not be contributors to the wasteful expenditure in the system.
The MPs must be the bastion of public accountability by providing leadership in the prudent use of the public purse.