ACEPA warns that the attrition rate in Parliament may worsen in the coming future
The African Centre for Parliamentary Affairs (ACEPA) is cautioning that the attrition rate in Parliament may deteriorate in the foreseeable future unless political parties take proactive steps to address the situation.
Dr. Rasheed Draman, the Executive Director of ACEPA, points out that political parties appear to prioritize financially affluent individuals over competent MPs, contributing to the current state of affairs.
This concern arises in response to statements made by the National Chairman of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), Johnson Asiedu Nketiah, who attributed the increasing attrition rate in Parliament to the excessive monetization of politics in Ghana.
In an interview, Mr. Nketiah claimed that there has been a departure from the original purpose of serving the nation through law formulation, with MPs now leveraging their parliamentary privileges to recover campaign investments or promote personal business interests.
Dr. Draman expressed dismay at the prioritization of money over knowledge and experience by political parties.
“In advanced democracies, there are some seats that you don’t contest a sitting MP because of the wealth of knowledge or experience that he or she brings to the legislative agenda and the fact that the party needs the person to be in the House. Now the party looks at who has a fat wallet and who can win elections for them, even if the person is not going to bring anything to the table when it comes to the work of Parliament.”
He suggests that there should be a reassessment of the positions within the executive arm granted to legislators, emphasizing the necessity of a disconnect in this regard.
