Adhoc c’ttee to draft code of conduct for MPs
Parliament Friday constituted a seven-member ad-hoc committee to draft a code of conduct to guide Members of Parliament (MPs).
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The bi-partisan committee, which is chaired by a former Majority Leader and MP for Nadowli/Kaleo Mr Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin, also has the MP for Sekondi, Papa Owusu-Ankomah as its Vice Chairman.
Other members of the committee are Mr Ahmed Ibrahim, Deputy Majority Whip and MP for Banda, Ms Laadi Ayii Ayamba, MP for Pusiga, Mr Isaac Osei, MP for Subin, Mr Ignatius Baffuor-Awuah, Deputy Minority Whip and MP for Sunyani West and Mr George Kofi Arthur, MP for Amenfi Central.
There were mix reactions in the House when the Majority Leader, Dr Benjamin Kunbuor, moved the motion for the committee to be constituted. Moving the motion, the Majority Leader said it had become a matter or urgency for the House to have a code to guide the conduct of its members.
Seconding the motion, the Deputy Minority Leader, Mr Dominic Nitiwul, said nobody should think that a code was being drafted because of a specific incident.
"A code of conduct to guide the conduct of MPs is long overdue", he said, explaining that the code would set standards which would come with responsibility.
Mr Nitiwul said MPs should be the first to conduct themselves in a way befitting leaders and added that the code would inure to the benefit of the MPs and the House as a whole.
"The work of MPs goes beyond what happens on the floor of the House. It is hoped that members of the House will support the move, " he said.
The Minister of Trade and Industry, who is also the MP for Tamale South, Mr Haruna Iddrisu, stated that the code was long overdue and referred the House to Chapter 24 of the Constitution and Article 286 (5) which spelt out the code of conduct for public servants.
He noted that the conduct of some MPs in the past tended to bring the name of the House into disrepute and asked the committee to come out with far reaching recommendations.
However, the MP for Adansi Asokwa, Mr K.T Hammond, opposed the move for the drafting of the code of conduct for MPs.
"By my nature, I don't like so much regulations. We are not babies", he said drawing laughter from MPs from both sides of the House.
When he caught the eye of the Speaker, the MP for Suhum, Mr Frederick Opare-Ansah, cautioned the House that even though it was important for MPs to be guided as to what was acceptable and what was not, there were already constitutional provisions in place.
His assertion was also supported by the MP for Okaikoi Central, Mr Patrick Yaw Boamah, who referred to a code of conduct which had been made by the Commission for Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) for public servants.
For the Deputy Majority Leader, Mr Alfred Agbesi, the motion was welcomed since a code of conduct would control the conduct of MPs.
For his part, the MP for Akuapem North, Mr William Ofori Boafo, commended the idea for the code of conduct for MPs but cautioned that such a code should not be made to intrude into the private affairs of MPs.
Contributing to the motion, the Second Deputy Speaker, Mr Joe Ghartey, mentioned parliaments in Sierra Leone and South Africa, among others, which had codes guiding their conducts.
In his comment, the Speaker, Mr Edward Doe Adjaho, said, "All civilised parliaments have codes of conduct. We cannot be left out since the matter has been on the drawing board for far too long."
Story: Emmanuel Adu-Gyamerah / Daily Graphic / Ghana
