Alexander Afenyo-Markin, who serves as the Deputy Majority Leader, has put forth the idea of cutting the total number of seats in Parliament from 275 to 200.
The representative for the Effutu constituency in the House of Representatives stated that his proposal will reduce the burden on the general budget.
“I feel obligated to point out that one of the most important things to consider is setting a maximum for the number of members of parliament that must be elected every single year.
It is incomprehensible that a relatively modest nation like Ghana, which faces a multitude of economic challenges, has 275 members of parliament. In contrast to its considerable economic might, Australia has a total of 151 senators and 76 representatives.
In order to put a stop to the unwarranted growth in the number of seats in our Parliament, we require a change in the law. We have 275 seats available in our parliament, and we need to reduce that number to 200.
The remarks were made by the legislator from Effutu on Wednesday, March 15, during the GIMPA Law Conference that was held this year.
In addition, he stated that Ghana is in need of a House of Elders, which will be the name of the Upper Chamber. In order to accomplish this, he has proposed that the role of the Council of State be altered so that it can serve this objective.
“I am of the opinion that Ghana requires an upper chamber; it should be called the House of Elders; its election should remain non-partisan; and its primary role should be to moderate the excessive partisanship and excesses of the current parliament.”
“Consequently, the Council of State ought to be transformed into the Upper Chamber of the Parliament…
I am not in any way implying that the existing Council of State is not of any assistance.
Mr. Afenyo-Markin also bemoaned the difficulties that come with the role of members of parliament, stating that they have become development agents in contrast to their functions of making laws and representing their constituents.
According to him, this has caused some members of parliament to retire into poverty and lead miserable lives after they do so.
If one looks at the lives of some former members of parliament after they have left the House of Commons, one can see that the allegations that some of them are corrupt are completely unfounded.
“Although legislators are not strictly speaking development agents, many Members of Parliament have had to dig so deep into their private pockets to provide public infrastructure that will benefit underserved communities in their constituencies.
This is despite the fact that lawmakers are not strictly speaking development agents.”
As a result of this process, many members of parliament have been forced to retire in abject poverty and are now saddled with the burden of repaying the private loans they took out during their time in office to meet the requirements of their constituents.