The First Deputy Speaker of Parliament Joseph Osei Owusu says leadership is no more in control over affairs of the House, but rather, the backbenchers.
The Bekwai Member of Parliament has noted that unlike the past when leaders raised issues in the House, it is now the backbenchers who have taken over.
On Thursday, July 20, 2023, he told journalists in Parliament that young legislators look at things from a perspective different from leadership which has affected how things are run in the House.
“Today, young people are in control, they look at things differently from the rest of us. Even when their leaders agree to do it, it is always people from the back bench who come to raise these issues, not the leaders.
“What it means is that indeed, at this time in the Parliament of Ghana, leaders don’t have control, the back bench have control. So the number of backbenchers and the orientation of the backbench you will bring in, we could determine what you will get.”
He further stated that the hung Parliament of 137 members apiece for both the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the National Democratic Congress (NDC) with an independent candidate which he envisaged to be good for Ghana’s democracy was wrong.
That, he said, has proven to be bad for cooperation in the House.
He appealed to the electorate to give each side they wish to be the Majority caucus a large majority to avoid the challenge they are currently facing.
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“Let me also say that Ghanaians should give each side they decide to give the majority, a large majority.
“When parliament got this close, I said that it would make cooperation better, unfortunately, I was wrong, it has made cooperation worse, it has brought out the worst in each of us and we are getting the worst performance.”
