Checks and balances: Parliament lacks funds to monitor Executive – Bagbin

The Speaker of Parliament, Alban Kingsford Sumana Bagbin has expressed concern over the inadequate funding for the legislative arm of the government, making it difficult to effectively monitor the operations of the executive arm of government, as required by law.

“If the Presidency in an annual budget can take, for example, 3 billion cedis and the whole arm that is to hold the president to account is given about 600 million cedis, now how can that weak body hold that mighty executive to account, how is it going to happen?” Bagbin quizzed while speaking at a press soiree in Ho, Volta Region, as part of the commemoration of 30 years of uninterrupted parliamentary democracy in Ghana.

He further argued that the government’s allocation of 600 million cedis is inadequate for the legislature to scrutinize the executive, which consistently receives allocations in the billions of cedis.

Bagbin seized the opportunity to call for reforms in the distribution of funds to enhance parliamentary governance in the country.

The Speaker of Parliament also criticised the government for not supporting the media in their operations.

According to him, the watchdog role of the media ensures accountability and transparency therefore it must not be viewed as a private enterprise.

“If the media which is supposed to hold the three of us accountable is not even catered for, the media is seen in Ghana as a private enterprise and nobody cares whether there is conditions of service or not”.