Linda Kotey & Emmanuel Kpeglah
8 January 2009
It began like a slip of tongue when Majority leader, Alban Bagbin first addressed the newly sworn Speaker of Parliament, Justice Mrs. Joyce Bamford-Addo as Mr. Speaker, but after persistent repetitions from members of the House, it was realized the Standing Orders of Parliament was not gender sensitive enough, to recognize women for the position.
Upon realizing that the use of Mr. Speaker had become the accepted norm on the lips of virtually every member of the august house, the Speaker had no option than to ask members of the House to call her 'Mr. Speaker'.
The Majority leader's reference to Justice Bamford-Addo as Mr. Speaker attracted large laughter from members of Parliament and the public.
On a lighter side, she laughed over it, but sought to find out what had created the situation where Hon. Bagbin referred to the Speaker as Mr. Speaker instead of Madam Speaker.
Bagbin explained that the Standing Orders of the House referred to the chair as Mr. Speaker, and as such he saw nothing wrong with him doing same.
This drew the attention of the new Speaker, who said she would not mind being addressed as such.
Significantly, the name of Ghana went into the annals of history yesterday, when it elected its first female Speaker of Parliament in the person of Justice Mrs. Joyce Bamford-Addo.
This was during the inauguration of the fifth Parliament of the fourth Republic.
Unlike the resentment that characterized the nomination of the speaker in 2004, all the nominations were accepted without criticism.
After taking the oath of office, Justice Bamford-Addo assured Ghanaians and the House that through legislations made by the house, she would help build a better Ghana and a solid legislature.
She also indicated her preparedness to work fairly with both sides of the house and thus entreated the minority and majority in Parliament to cooperate with her, in order for her to accomplish the task ahead.
In that regard, the newly sworn Speaker promised to follow the footsteps of her predecessors, especially the immediate Speaker, Ebenezer Begyina Sekyi-Hughes, to make laws that are just and beneficial for all Ghanaians.
The Speaker further averred to be diligent and humble whilst bringing her experience of several years in public service to bear.
Earlier, Majority leader, Alban Bagbin described the Speaker as calm and gentle, but firm and a patriotic daughter of Ghana and said she was going to be a good Speaker.
Justice Bamford-Addo's nomination thus went through with ease, without any opposition from the Minority NPP. In the absence of any opposition to her nomination, the clerk of Parliament, Emmanuel Anyimadu assisted the Chief Justice, Mrs. Georgina Wood to swear in the new Speaker.
The same procedure was used in the election of the First and Second Deputy Speakers respectively.
Whilst the First Deputy Speaker went to the MP for Ave-Avenor, Doe Adjaho of the NDC, the Second Deputy Speaker went to the MP for Dome Kwabenya, Prof. Mike Ocquaye of the NPP.
Born in 26th March 1937, in Accra, Mrs. Joyce Bamford-Addo was called to the English Bar in 1961 and Ghana Bar in 1963, as an Assistant State Attorney. She had her first promotion in1965 as a State Attorney.
In 1970 she rose to the post of Senior State Attorney, Principal Attorney in 1973, Chief State Attorney in 1976, and in 1986 she became the Director of Prosecution.
Mrs. Bamford-Addo was a member of the Ghana Law Reform Commission, Legal Aid Board, Ghana's Representative on UN Commission on the Status of Women and the member of the General Legal Council.
She has attended over 17 conferences across the world, among which are a Conference on the Status of Women in Tunis 1983, 3 4th UN Session on Commission on the Status of Women in Vienna Austria in 1990 and the 10th Anniversary Conference Society for Reform of the Criminal Law in London in 1998.
She was elected as Woman of the Year in 2000 by the American Biographical Institute.
After 43 year experience of excellent legal practice, she retired in 2004, but was reappointed as a Supreme Court Judge until her present appointment to the high office of the Speaker of Parliament.
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