Public Agenda (Accra)
Kwaku Baah-Acheamfour
11 August 2008
Takoradi — Mr. Joseph Asunka, the Programmes Officer of Ghana Centre for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana), has called for an amendment of the constitutional provision that allows the government to appoint majority of ministers from Parliament.
He explained that the provision has created a situation where because of official assignments Ministers of State tend to absent themselves from parliamentary duties.
According to him, the nation could only derive optimum service from Parliamentarians especially in respect of law making, if the government appoints only a fewer of them as Ministers.
Mr. Asunka was speaking with the Public Agenda after a CDD-Ghana workshop on Issue-based Reportage for the Media in Takoradi.
"In that case the parliament suffers from limited human resources any time such parliamentarians join the executive and the same happens to the executive when such people assume parliamentary duties," he noted.
He added that many of the MPs who double as cabinet ministers are incapable of voting against unhealthy government policies in Parliament since they are always partners in the formulation of such policies 'even when their conscience tells them it is wrong'
"Such MPs are seen by their constituents as unconcerned about their plight and therefore not qualified to represent them again; a problem which could be averted if they were a bit relieved from excessive executive duties," he further observed.
Mr Asunka also called on government to reconsider the registration of all public vehicles to prevent their abuse by public officials. According to him, many public officials abuse their office by using the vehicles for their private errands; a situation, which he said, should not be countenanced as it amounts to willfully causing financial loss to the state.
"The registration will help everybody identify that the car one is using is for government and thereby reporting such officials for the necessary action to be taken," he added.
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