Bagbin warns of potential public unrest due to partisan politics

Accra, Ghana - Speaker of Parliament, Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin has issued a dire warning about the potential for public unrest due to extreme partisanship within the legislature.

Speaking at the University of Ghana Alumni Lecture on the theme “30 Years of Parliamentary Democracy: The Journey Thus Far,” Bagbin emphasized that the current political climate, where factions prioritize their agenda over citizens' needs, could lead to widespread dissatisfaction.

Bagbin highlighted the erosion of public trust in Parliament, citing its failure to tackle pressing national issues.

He drew parallels with recent unrest in Kenya, Burkina Faso, and other African nations, urging Ghana to learn from these examples.

"Given the low trust levels and given that many believe democracy has not delivered, our democracy and parliament in particular, is faced with the challenge of relevance and the need to prove to citizens that we can deliver on our mandate, particularly of holding the executive to account and ensuring that corruption and waste are at the barest minimum in all our countries," stated.

"Recently in Kenya, citizens went after their MPs and set a part of Parliament ablaze. They said MPs are irrelevant and a part of, instead of being a solution to their daily problems. This was ten clear years after a similar occurrence in Burkina Faso, where the parliament was set ablaze by dissatisfied citizens. This tells us how important the question of relevance is. If we do not prove our worth to the people we represent and lead, the writings are clearly on the wall,"he added.

Source : Lead News Online