Bagbin cautions that the highly politicised Parliament may be overthrown by the populace since it has failed to deliver.

Speaker of the House Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin has issued an urgent warning over the possibility of public disturbances resulting from intense partisanship in the house.
He expressed fear that a general unhappiness could result from the existing political environment, in which certain factions put their goal ahead of the demands of the people.

At the University of Ghana (UG) Alumni Lecture, which focused on the topic of “30 Years of Parliamentary Democracy: The Journey Thus Far,” Bagbin emphasised how the public’s confidence in Parliament is eroding as a result of the body’s inability to successfully address urgent national concerns.

He urged Ghana to take note of these circumstances in order to avert similar turmoil, citing recent instances from Kenya, Burkina Faso, and other African countries.

Speaker Bagbin noted that the public’s frustration with legislators who fail to work together for the greater good is growing.

He maintained that the primary responsibility of advancing the public interest has been eclipsed by the emphasis on party allegiance.

He pointed out that this partisanship not only obstructs legislative development but also strengthens the idea that Parliament is estranged from the reality that everyday Ghanaians must deal with.

He issued a warning: should this pattern persist, it may spark a popular uprising against elected officials who put personal benefit ahead of effective governance.

In an effort to rebuild confidence in the democratic process, the Speaker urged Members of Parliament to recommit to constructive politics.

“Given the low trust levels and given that many believe democracy has not delivered, our democracy and parliament in particular, is faced with the challenge of relevance and the need to prove to citizens that we can deliver on our mandate, particularly of holding the executive to account and ensuring that corruption and waste are at the barest minimum in all our countries.”

Kenyans recently set a section of Parliament on fire and turned on their Members of Parliament. They claimed that rather than being a solution to their everyday issues, MPs are just a part of them and irrelevant. This occurred precisely ten years after a comparable incident in Burkina Faso, where angry residents set fire to the parliament. This indicates the significance of the relevancy question. The writing is obviously on the wall if we fail to demonstrate our value to the people we lead and represent.”