By Speaker of Parliament Alban Bagbin has voiced frustration over what he calls a troubling trend among legislators to involve the Supreme Court in parliamentary matters.
He believes this practice undermines the authority and respect of the legislative body.
Speaking at a press conference on Wednesday, November 6, 2024, Bagbin urged lawmakers to show greater allegiance to Parliament and reduce reliance on external judicial intervention.
This response followed Majority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin’s injunction application to the Supreme Court, aimed at countering the Minority’s petition requesting the Speaker to declare certain seats vacant.
Bagbin highlighted this case, along with other recent instances where Majority members sought the Supreme Court’s intervention in parliamentary issues, calling the trend detrimental to the institution’s integrity.
“Most worrying is that these proceedings are initiated by some members of parliament, even leaders of Parliament, who ought to know better,” he stated.
Alban Bagbin argued that this dependence on the Supreme Court signals a lack of confidence within Parliament and erodes its independent authority.
“Parliamentarians who are to be loyal to Parliament rather than to the Supreme Court run to the Supreme Court at the slightest opportunity to use the Supreme Court to undermine Parliament,” he said.
“This might be one of the reasons Parliament and members of Parliament are not respected and are treated with disdain.”
The Speaker urged MPs to prioritize their commitment to Parliament, suggesting that reinforcing internal mechanisms could reduce the need for external intervention and enhance the institution’s integrity in the public eye.
“Parliament weakens itself when its members keep running to our courts to settle or seek favourable determinations of not just legal matters, but essentially political and governance questions. It is my strong belief the matter before the Supreme Court can be settled within Parliament through mature deliberations and compromises.”
