Blame mini-budget delays on hung parliament – Ricketts-Hagan

The Member of Parliament (MP) for Cape Coast South, George Ricketts-Hagan, has attributed the delay in approving the mini-budget to the hung nature of Ghana’s 8th Parliament.

Speaking in an interview, the legislator explained that the current parliamentary structure has created a challenging environment for decision-making and exposed critical gaps in Ghana’s constitutional framework.

Reflecting on the nature of the 8th Parliament, whose tenure ends at midnight on January 6, 2024, Ricketts-Hagan described it as an unprecedented and interesting period in Ghana’s political history.

The hung Parliament, with its equal representation from the two major parties, led to frequent stalemates and heightened partisanship, complicating the conduct of business in the Chamber.

Ricketts-Hagan also figured out that the hung Parliament has exposed gaps in the constitution, which does not adequately address such an evenly split legislative body.

“The 8th Parliament has been a unique and interesting one. Having what is known as a hung Parliament has contributed to all the challenges that we are talking about. And it has also exposed certain gaps that we have in our constitution.

“We have gotten into the situation that we are in today as a result of this very [8th] Parliament because we have never experienced this situation in doing a budget because what normally happens is that the mini-budget is usually done before the elections.

“And it is usually done in November, and the assumption is that the government that is doing so will continue to be the government going forward, or the opposition party could become the government, and so there is some level of uncertainty that allows the current government to put that budget in a way like they may continue or they may not”.

Another lawmaker who has pointed out challenges associated with the 8th Parliament is Joseph Osei-Owusu, popularly known as Joe Wise.

According to the First Deputy Speaker of Parliament, the current parliament is unfocused, filled with controversies, and neglecting its primary duty of lawmaking.

Again, the Bekwai MP indicated that the 8th Parliament has failed to meet the legislative standards set by previous sessions, ultimately falling short of expectations.

The Deputy Speaker highlighted the insufficient number of laws passed during this parliamentary session compared to previous ones.

He pointed out that the legislative output of the 8th Parliament has been notably low, regarding both major laws and smaller legislative instruments.