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Tuesday, July 21, 2009

Who do Ghanaian PMs serve, their constituencies or parties?


In any well developed democracy members of parliament always put the interest of the constituencies they represent over and above party interest because the MPs know they are always answerable to the electorates during elections not their parties. As a result it is always common to find MPs who vote independently regardless of their party position and some even challenge their parties on many issues.

In Ghana's parliament there is a dangerous practice where MPs fail to articulate the concerns of their constituencies and vote on
party lines even when such votes would deprive their constituencies of jobs, infrastructures and development or even if the vote would lead to the destruction of the environment or a lost of national asset.

Another dangerous practice in Ghana's parliament is the long absence in which some MPs stay in
Accra without visiting their constituencies to find out what is actually happening there. This category of MPs always live in their comfortable tax free environment in Accra most of the time only to return to their constituencies during elections to demand that the people vote for them again. They travel to Europe and America to attend to their own businesses when Parliament is on recess instead for them to visit their people and find out their problems and concerns.
The sad aspect of these absentee MPs is that citizens of their constituency do not know their telephone or e-mail address and have no means to communicate with them where they could inform them of pressing issues in the constituency.

This kind of problem is even worse with MPs who double as Ministers.

Due to this long absence there are many MPs who cannot even give befitting answers when quizzed on issues affecting their constituencies. Some are at a loss when asked about school enrolment rate,
unemployment rate, the state of health, education, roads and other vital infrastructures in their own constituencies left alone the whole country.

As far as I know MPs are elected first to represent their constituencies to make laws and also to make sure the development needs of their constituencies are brought to the attention of government and institutions charged with providing development. MPs also help to market their constituencies to the business community but very few MPs who do this for their constituencies.

In Ghana I have never seen, heard or known any issue in which MPs have dealt with it on non partisan basis except when the issue involves money such as the recent car loan issue in which all parties seem to agree.

The long absence and voting on party lines explain why certain communities do no have schools, clean drinking water, electricity and toilet facilities even though they have MPs who claim to represent them. (Represent them on what?)

What do MPs do and who do they represent? Do they own allegiance and loyalty to their constituencies or to their parties? The constituencies are the losers in this as issues affecting them are ignored by the state because MPs who represent them fail to do their job as MPs. Such practices must stop if Ghana's democracy is to be enhanced.

Who do Ghanaian MPs serve their constituencies or political parties? Who owns them
the constituencies or the political parties?

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