The Speaker of Parliament, Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin, has threatened to crack down on indiscipline and disorderly conduct during proceedings in the House.
He said it had reached a point in Parliament where stronger measures were necessary to safeguard its dignity and uphold the principles of governance.
“I want to assure all of you that I will come back to this issue of decency, discipline and decorum. And this time, I’m coming with the hammer and not the gavel,” he stated.
Context
He issued the warning last Tuesday in the House following heated exchanges between the Majority and Minority leaders during the vetting of Chief Justice nominee, Justice Paul Baffoe-Bonnie, where tensions flared over remarks deemed inappropriate.
The confrontation began when Minority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin referred to the Chief Justice nominee as a “disputed nominee”.
The Majority Leader, Mahama Ayariga, objected to the description of the nominee as “disputed nominee”, arguing that the description was inappropriate and risked undermining the dignity of the Judiciary.
Mr Afenyo-Markin, however, insisted that the Majority was attempting to suppress legitimate parliamentary scrutiny.
Respect for judiciary
Mr Bagbin reaffirmed Parliament’s duty to maintain respect for the Judiciary and uphold the constitutional principle of separation of powers.
“As Speaker, I wish to reaffirm Parliament’s unwavering respect for the Judiciary as a coequal arm of government under Article 125, Clause 1 of the 1992 Constitution, which vests the judicial power of Ghana in the Judiciary,” he said.
“The doctrine of the separation of powers requires that all three arms of government… relate to one another with mutual respect and restraint,” he stated
He further directed the leadership of the Appointments Committee to ensure that future vettings were conducted with professionalism and “the highest standards of civility, objectivity and institutional respect.”
Mr Bagbin stated that Parliament cherished its longstanding relationship with the Judiciary and remained committed to strengthening it in the service of Ghanaians and the protection of constitutional democracy.
Apology
He extended Parliament’s apology to the Judiciary for what transpired during the vetting of Mr Justice Baffoe-Bonnie last Monday.
“Honourable members, on your behalf, I extend our deepest apologies and assurances of Parliament’s continued respect for the Judiciary and its team members,” he added.
He stressed the need for mutual respect among the Executive, Legislature and Judiciary, in line with the doctrine of separation of powers.
Mr Bagbin acknowledged that the incident fell short of the standards expected of the nation’s legislative body.
He stressed the need for Parliament to always uphold the highest levels of respect, restraint and decorum, especially in its interactions with other arms of government.
Mr Bagbin further urged the leadership committee of Parliament to take proactive steps to ensure such lapses do not recur.
He urged members of Parliament to always conduct themselves with dignity and to safeguard the integrity of parliamentary proceedings.
