The Majority leader in Parliament, Hon. Osei Kyei Mensa Bonsu, has urged civil society organisations, groups and individuals to stop with immediate effect ranking of Member of Ghana’s Parliament.
He gave the ‘order’ when a Member of Parliament (MP) for Effutu, Hon. Alexander Kwamena Afenyo-Markin, drew the leadership of the House attention to a recurrent ranking of members of the legislature by Odikro, civil society organisation.
Hon. Afenyo-Markin brought to issue to the attention of the House when he was contributing to a motion for the adoption of the constitution of various committees.
According to him, such rankings are seriously affecting the morale of members and the development of August House as a whole.
It would be recalled Odikro published a research findings on the performance of Ghanaian lawmakers and the said rankings did not gone down well with some lawmakers.
In its ranking published on January 24, 2017, Odikro rated outspoken New Patriotic Party (NPP) Member of Parliament (MP) for Assin Central, Hon Ken Agyapong, among the 50 worst performing members of the country’s Sixth Parliament.
In the same vain, the lawmaker for Dome Kwabenya Hon Sarah Adwoa Safo and the former Deputy Central Regional Minister Hon Queenstar Pokua Sawyerr were also listed among the worst performers in a latest report released by the STAR-Ghana funded project.
However, the MP for Old Tafo, Hon Anthony Akoto Osei, was adjudged the overall best MP with a total score of 94.12%, Hon. James Klutse Avedzi had 93.39%; Joseph Yieleh Chirech 92.21%; Papa Owusu-Ankomah 92.17%; and Alexander Afenyo-Markin 91.03% followed in that order.
Some of the worst performer in the Sixth Parliament were Hon Evans Paul Aidoo who scored 11.50%; Hon Queenstar Pokua Sawyerr 16.98%; Hon Dr. Nii Oakley Quaye-Kumah 17.09%; Hon Ken Ohene Agyapong 18.29%; and Hon Dr. Mustapha Ahmed 18.60%
According to the report, 19 Members of Parliament never spoke on the floor throughout their four years in the law-making Chamber.
They are made up of 16 MPs of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) who were then the Majority and three (3) MPs of the NPP.
The Majority leader explained that most of the work load of the House are done at the committee level, hence basing their rankings on floor were proper.
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