Members of Parliament are now under obligation to recite the national pledge once every workweek to usher in the week.
The new order was first implemented on Tuesday, February 6, 2024 at the first sitting of the House for this year.
This demand is contained in the new Standing Order, which became effective on January 2, 2024.
Order 69 of the new Standing Orders enjoins members to recite the national pledge at the first sitting of every week of a meeting.
“Hon members, we shall now proceed to recite the national pledge, which is set out in the fourth schedule of the Standing Orders and is on page 163. May we do so now,” Speaker Bagbin said to usher in the new paradigm.
The Parliamentarians, as well as the Speaker, stood on their feet, placed their right hands on their chests and started reciting the national pledge.
ROLL CALL
Pursuant to Order 14 of the new Standing Orders, there will be a roll call every sitting day to serve as evidence of a member’s attendance.
According to Order 14(1), the Speaker may cause a roll call to be taken and a member is expected to respond to the roll call, which shall be evidence of attendance.
“I now call upon the clerks at table to call out your names,” the Speaker said. The Clerks at table began mentioning members’ names in alphabetical order, and they responded, with most members waving their hands and some standing to be recognised.
CONFUSION
There was confusion about the roll call, particularly the timing. The challenge was what the roll call meant in actual terms.
Some members, including Ambrose Dery, sought to know at which point a member could no longer be recognised during the roll call.
His issue was that he entered the chamber after his name had already been mentioned. He was expecting that his name would be called again, but that did not happen.
The MP for Dayi, Rockson-Nelson Dafeamekpor, advocated a definition of the roll call in the standing orders, a call shared by several members who commented about the issue.
Order 14(2), however, allows members to also sign in manually, by either visiting the table office or at committee levels.
The Member of Parliament for Ayawaso Central, Henry Quartey, sought the guidance of the Speaker on reconciliation. He sought assurance that in the event a member signed manually, but was not in the chamber during the roll call, would there be reconciliation just, so that the member would not be marked absent.
The Majority Leader, Osei-Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, and the Minority Chief Whip, Ahmed Ibrahim, as well as the Asawase MP, Muntaka Mohammed Mubarak, made comments in support of the roll call, as stated in the order paper.
Muntaka, as one of the MPs who worked on the document, said the roll call was to let the public know MPs who attend parliament on time.
CHECK QUORUM
Meanwhile, the Speaker, in addressing the concerns, said the new order dealt with the views articulated.
He said the roll of members was with the table office and he only caused the roll to be brought up to check those present in the chamber, in particular to address the issue of quorum.
“So, when you have that opportunity, you are able to be guided as the Speaker or presiding officer when you have a quorum to commence business,” the speaker said.
On the optics associated with the roll call, Speaker Bagbin said they were important, but told members it was a signal to members that their constituents were watching and would know whether they reported early or not.
However, the vote and proceedings for the next day will show those who were indeed absent.
He urged members to try and come early to the chamber, before going to transact any business.
While insisting that the roll call was a good initiative, Speaker Bagbin also emphasised that “this is to be done daily.”
TIME
In the new standing order, sitting must last for five hours and the Speaker may issue a directive for an extension, considering the business of the day.
The old standing order gave the closing time at 2pm, even if sitting commenced at 1pm unless the Speaker directed for an extension.
