A Speaker of Parliament in the First and Second Parliament of the Fourth Republic, Justice Daniel Francis Annan has said that it is impossible to hold the position of the Speaker of Parliament without rallying the support of the Majority.
However, he said, he would have been if the former Speaker Mr. Peter Ala Adjetey was given the chance to serve a second term.
Speaking in an interview Justice D. F. Annan said although the appointment of the Speaker would have been better if it was based on consensus from both sides of the house as it happened in his case, putting it to vote was not as dangerous as it is being bandied.
He said this notwithstanding; he would have preferred that Peter Ala Adjetey was maintained.
Commenting on whether the case brought against the former Speaker Mr. Peter Ala Adjetey by the Majority caucus that he was allegedly too objective in his dealings with the two sides which formed the bases for his rejection by the Majority as Speaker, D. F. Annan said fairness and neutrality should be the guiding principles of a good Speaker.
Justice D. F. Annan urged the new Speaker, Mr Ebenezer Begyina Sekyi Hughes not to abdicate his guiding principles of fairness and neutrality since that is the only sure and possible way entrenching Ghana?s Parliamentary Democracy.
He encouraged new Parliamentarians to learn very fast and appealed to government to provide logistics to enhance their work.
Justice Annan also said that the new Speaker of Parliament should be neutral in his work and should not exhibit any form of partiality even though he is affiliated to the NPP.
Source: GhanaWeb
