Executive Director of the African Centre for Parliamentary Affairs (ACEPA), Dr. Rasheed Draman, has urged Members of Parliament to exercise caution and responsibility in their comments while performing their duties on the floor of the House.
His remarks follow the recent apology by Minority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin to the Minister for the Interior, Mohammed Muntaka Mubarak, over allegations of fraud in the ongoing security services recruitment exercise.
Speaking to Citi News, Dr. Draman stressed that comments made by lawmakers, particularly parliamentary leaders, must be carefully considered as they carry significant weight and can affect public confidence in Parliament and other democratic institutions.
According to him, unverified or unresolved allegations raised on the floor of Parliament risk undermining the credibility and integrity of the legislative body.
“All MPs particularly the leadership has to be a bit circumspect and guided at all times when they get up on the floor of the house. The apology seems to suggest that he is taking back his words and that maybe the what he said do not exist.
“The second aspect might be that he might have the fact but at this point he has decided that in building consensus, he will not go ahead with such allegations. Already there are issues about trust not only of Parliament but of political institutions of this country. Events like this when they happen in Parliament and we don’t get finality to them, contributes to the erosion of whatever trust that is left,” he said.
The controversy stems from claims by Afenyo-Markin that the involvement of a third-party IT firm in the security services recruitment process amounted to a scam and placed excessive financial burdens on applicants.
Following the allegations, Interior Minister Mohammed Muntaka Mubarak lodged a formal complaint, leading to the matter initially being referred to Parliament’s Privileges Committee.
However, during parliamentary proceedings on Wednesday, March 4, Afenyo-Markin formally retracted his remarks and apologised, stating that he had no intention of damaging the Minister’s reputation.
Subsequently, the First Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Bernard Ahiafor, withdrew the referral of the Minority Leader to the Privileges Committee after the apology was issued.
Source: Juliana Odame Asare, CitiNews Room