Reorganizing the majority leadership: What went wrong?
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Parts of the public and the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) are apprehensive about the recent reorganization of the Majority Caucus leadership in Parliament. How Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, the Majority Leader, was “removed” from office caused the worry.
The recent ministerial nominations made by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, in which Lydia Seyram Alhassan, the First Deputy Majority Chief Whip, was nominated for ministerial appointment, made a reorganization of the Majority leadership necessary. As a result, the New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) National Executive Committee (NEC) was compelled to think beyond simply replacing Ms. Alhassan as the party’s MP to contemplate a significant shift in leadership.
Novel Standing Directives
These decisions are traditionally made by the party’s NEC, which notifies the Speaker of Parliament of its choice through the party’s General Secretary. This is in line with both the previous Parliamentary Standing Orders and the party’s constitution. However, to strengthen Parliament and advance democracy, a new Standing Order has been established as of this year (2024) that gives the Majority and Minority Caucuses the authority to make such choices after consulting with their respective parties. This was a result of the previous system’s lack of democracy, which allowed the parties to impose leadership on their parliamentary caucuses outside of Parliament.
Thus, following the established practices, the NPP leadership outside of Parliament reorganized and appointed Alexander Afenyo-Markin, his deputy, to the role of Majority Leader. This was carried out while the former was out of the nation. The NPP Majority Caucus in Parliament conducted a news conference on February 20, 2024, to refute the rumors that had been circulating in the media. First Deputy Speaker of Parliament Joseph Osei-Owusu underlined during the press conference that the caucus had trust in its leaders and had no plans to replace them, thus the rumors should be ignored.
The Majority Leader “voluntarily” resigned there to clear the path for harmony and peace within the party when the party’s leadership outside of Parliament and a few members of the parliamentary caucus met later. This was because the party was becoming uneasy about his removal. In his own words, while I was out of the country, several matters were brought up that I was involved in. I want to avoid being in the center of the storm. Nothing that could have disastrous effects should be done. I am emphasizing peace and unity for this reason.
It is important to remember that the minority leadership outside of Parliament had recently changed similarly to remove the minority leader, which sparked protests in Tamale South, the minority leader’s home district. To preserve Ghana’s democracy, political parties should choose and modify their parliamentary caucuses under the new Standing Order going ahead.
Executive authority
The First Deputy Majority Whip’s nomination for a ministerial post sparked the NPP’s parliamentary leadership transition, which rekindles the dispute over the President’s broad authority over Parliament. The President must select the majority of his ministers from Parliament, according to the 1992 Constitution. Parliament becomes the President’s subordinate body as a result, and the President is free to “encroach” on Parliament and “twist” its hands to achieve his goals. An extremely astute President can do great damage to Parliament. To preserve the independence of Parliament, the issue needs to be addressed while Ghana considers rewriting its constitution.
The independence of Parliament would also be preserved by eliminating the Minister of Parliamentary Affairs post, which affirms the President’s power over Parliament and reaches within Parliament.
The dismissal of Mr. Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu further demonstrates how we handle those who have excelled in public service. The problematic manner in which he was “dispensed with” demotivates those who strive to be like him. If the NPP had followed our customary political structure, in which new leaders “sit on the laps” of departing leaders to obtain wisdom and their blessings, this situation might have been handled more skillfully.
We wouldn’t have experienced the stress and unease that Mr. Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu’s dismissal has brought about. It is also possible that the party held in-depth discussions before the reorganization. It is regrettable how the changeover was handled, but both the newly appointed Majority Leader, Mr. Afenyo-Markin, and the most recent Majority Leader, Mr. Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, are excellent guys.
The portrayal
The removal of Mr. Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu and the subsequent problems also brings up questions of accountability and representation. Who are Members of Parliament (MPs) answerable to, is the question? Are they answerable to the voters who supported them, their political parties on whose ticket they run for office, or both? Members of Parliament ought to be more answerable to their constituents if they wish to safeguard their careers.
This is because several Members of Parliament have emerged as independents after losing their party’s primary. MPs should therefore be answerable to their parties to uphold party discipline, but their first allegiance should always be to the constituents they serve.
As a Political Scientist, the author
