Renowned investigative journalist, Manasseh Azure Awuni, has argued that Members of Parliament (MPs) who choose to contest future elections as independent candidates should not lose their parliamentary seats.
He made these remarks in a Facebook post on Tuesday, October 22, expressing concerns about the current political precedent in Ghana and the potential harm it could cause to the country’s democratic process.
Manasseh’s statement follows debates about MPs’ loyalty to their political parties versus their responsibility to represent their constituents.
He noted that MPs are elected to serve the interests of their entire constituencies, not just their political parties, and as such, their choice to contest independently should not result in expulsion from parliament.
“So, if an MP intends to contest the next election outside his party, he can lose his party membership but not his current membership in parliament,” he wrote.
Manasseh also criticized the 2020 decision by Speaker Mike Oquaye and the current one by Alban Bagbin, which led to the expulsion of some MPs after they decided to contest the election as an independent candidate.
According to Manasseh, this set a dangerous precedent that could weaken parliamentary independence.
“Expelling MPs because of their intention to contest as independent candidates would make MPs dummies. They would support everything their party wants. It weakens parliament and our democracy,” Manasseh remarked.
Source: Modern Ghana
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