By Iddi Yire
Accra, Aug 07, GNA – The Second Meeting of the Third Session of the Eighth Parliament of the Fourth Republic of Ghana came to an end on August 03, 2023.
The House is expected to resume within the third week of October in good times for the Third Meeting.
In total, during the Second Meeting, the House held 33 Sittings within the nine-week period.
During the period, the House debated, amended and passed Eight Bills into law.
They are the Ghana Accreditation Service Bill, 2023; Narcotics Commission (Amendment) Bill, 2023; Contracts (Amendment) Bill, 2022; and the Whistle Blower (Amendment) Bill, 2023.
Others are the Criminal Offences (Amendment), Bill, 2022, which seeks to abolish the Death Penalty; the Criminal Offences (Amendment) Bill, 2022, which seeks to proscribe witchcraft accusation; and the Armed Forces (Amendment) Bill, 2022, which is to replace the Death Penalty with life imprisonment.
The rest are the Wildlife Resources Management Bill, 2022 and the Ghana Commission for UNESCO Bill, 2022.
The Second Meeting, also witnessed the approval of important loan and commercial agreements, tax waivers and the presentation and debate on the 2023 Mid-Year Budget Review.
During the Meeting, two Members of the House were sworn-in by Speaker Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin after winning by-elections.
They are Mr Ernest Yaw Anim, New Patriotic Party (NPP) Member of Parliament (MP) for Kumawu, who was sworn-in by the Speaker on June 6.
He won the Kumawu by-election following the death of the sitting NPP MP, Mr Philip Basoah.
The Speaker, again swore-in Mr James Gyakye Quayson, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) MP for Assin North on July 4, after he won a by-election.
The by-election followed the Supreme Court’s annulment of Mr Gyakye Quayson’s election as the MP for Assin North in the 2020 general election on grounds that he held dual citizenship at the time he filed to contest the election.
During the Meeting, the House by consensus approved the President’s Chief Justice Nominee, Mrs Justice Gertrude Araba Esaaba Sackey Torkornoo for appointment as the substantive Chief Justice.
In addition, the House unanimously approved the nomination of Madam Cynthia Naa-Koshie Lamptey as Deputy Special Prosecutor for a second five-year term.
The Meeting the NDC Parliamentary Minority declared boycotts of Parliamentary sittings on days that three of their Members were due to appear before court.
The boycotts according to the Minority Caucus, was to solidarise with their colleagues, who they claimed were being persecuted by the Government.
The trio are Mr James Gyakye Quayson, the MP for Assin North; Mr Collins Dauda, the MP for Asutifi South and Dr Cassiel Ato Baah Forson, the Minority Leader and MP for Ajumako-Enyan-Esiam.
The Minority’s boycotts affected the sittings of the House on the Court’s sitting days.
On some occasions, sittings of the House were adjourned for the lack of quorum.
The Meeting also welcomed a new directive from Speaker Bagbin that visitors in the Public Gallery of the Chamber of Parliament be acknowledged by the House.
The innovation led to increase in the number of visitors to the House, especially students from various schools across the country and civil society organisations.
At the closing ceremony of the Second Meeting of the Third Session of the Eighth Parliament of the Fourth Republic of Ghana, Speaker Bagbin hailed the House for the passage of the Criminal Offences (Amendment), Bill, 2022, which seeks to abolish the Death Penalty in Ghana.
He said the House had reviewed 14 out of the 15 laws in the country touching on the Death Penalty; and that the one that was left, was the Constitutional Article – Article 3(3) of the 1992 Constitution, which had created the offence of high treason.
The Article is an entrenched clause so, the Speaker appealed to the President on behalf of the House to sign the Second Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
It aimes at the abolition of the death penalty, a subsidiary agreement to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
He noted that Ghana’s signing to the Second Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, would complete the abolition of the Death Penalty.
The Speaker said the passage of the Bill on the Death Penalty during the Second Meeting had catapulted the House and Ghana into a higher rank of democratic country.
Madam Lydia Seyram Alhassan, First Deputy Majority Whip and NPP MP for Ayawaso West Wuogon, extended appreciation to the Speaker and his two Deputies for stirring the business of the House smoothly.
She also thanked her colleague members of the Leadership of the House, Committee Chair persons and other Members of the House for their collective efforts in ensuring that the Meeting ended successfully.
On his part, Mr Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, the Deputy Minority Leader and NDC MP for Ellembele, said during the period, the cooperation of the two sides of the House had been good; stating that the cooperation of the two sides of the House ensured the passage of eight bills, three of which were private member’s bills.
He said it was the first time that the House was able to pass three Private Member’s Bills.
He commended the Speaker for his leadership and direction; saying: “We are only in the Third Session of this Parliament, I am sure a lot more of such Bills will be passed before the dissolution of the House. “
Mr Buah also commended Mr Francis-Xavier Kojo Sosu, the NDC MP for Madina, for introducing the three Private Member’s Bills and convincing the House to back him.
GNA