Speaker Alban Bagbin has indicated that in the new Standing Orders yet to be implemented by Parliament, legislators will be mandated to recite the National pledge.
The Speaker made this known at the launch of the Citizen’s Bureau on Monday, July 31, 2023.
According to Speaker Bagbin, this will foster patriotism as the words of the national pledge will speak to lawmakers.
“We must demonstrate patriotism in what we do. That is why in the New Standing Orders, we have included the recitation of the national pledge.
Very important. Because if you are not patriotic, how can you lead. For him, it is imperative that leaders are true to the average Ghanaian they work for,” he said.
The objective of the Citizens Bureau is to facilitate engagements and information sharing between Parliament and Civil Society Organisations.
The Bureau is equally responsible for the formulation, implementation and reporting on Open Parliament Initiative under the Open Government Partnership.
Parliament has taken steps to holistically review the current Standing Orders which has been in operation since 2000.
It comes in response to a growing public demand for transparency and accountability, as well as a desire for Parliament to increase its oversight of the executive and other constitutional bodies.
Speaking to the Standing Orders Committee’s report on the review of the Standing Orders, MPs stated that Parliament, as a representative of the people, is thus obligated to respond to the call by adopting new rules to provide structural and procedural arrangements to deliver on its mandate effectively and efficiently.
Article 110(1) of the Constitution of the Republic of Ghana, 1992 provides that “subject to the provisions of this Constitution, Parliament may, by standing orders, regulate its own procedure”.
The First Parliament of the Fourth Republic developed and adopted the Standing Orders of the Parliament of Ghana which regulated the proceedings of the House and its Committees, as well as, the privileges and immunities of the House and Members until its revision in November 2000.
According to the MPs, the expansion in the frontiers of democracy and good governance worldwide, coupled with changing trends in legislative practices and procedures, have necessitated a holistic revision of the current Standing Orders.