Ghana parliament has turned into a boxing arena following the trickeries by Speaker Alban Bagbin

They call themselves honourable Members of Parliament, thus, lawmakers! However, they lack the capability and ability to comprehend the processes of making laws as rational and educated human beings.

Going to parliament as a representative of your constituents to fight their corner when it comes to the sharing of the national cake and also, to participate in law-making for the collective interests of the nation and the people, one is required to be intelligent, wise, patient and be able to analyse things and communicate their views coherently persuasively.

One should not be jumpy, irrational, selfish and always ready to engage in pugilism when their views expressed or doted on are not agreed by others, especially those on the other side of the political divide.

However, in Ghana under the eighth parliament of the fourth republic, the floor of parliament has turned into a boxing ring, always featuring a loquacious, unintelligent, selfish and nation-wreaking bunch of lucky-to-become-parliamentarians, thus, misfits, huffing and puffing, beating the war drums.

Following what may be a malicious ploy by Speaker Alban Bagbin to always spearhead the cause of NDC, his adored political party since its formation, the eighth parliament of the fourth republic has been experiencing the throwing of blows among the parliamentarians for all stupid reasons unbefitting of people proudly addressing themselves as honourable.

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Is it an honourable feat to engage in fisticuffs to address a pressing national issue needing the certification of parliamentarians where diplomacy, intellectual debate and professionalism could have resolved their differences to culminate in the desired result?

The Speaker, to deliberately tilt the debate in favour of the NDC parliamentarians who are remotely being controlled like puppets by their political leadership to reject the electronic transaction levy (e-levy), has found what he perceives to be a blameless refuge in absconding parliament when it comes to voting on that issue.

Without his presence, his deputy who comes from the NPP side in parliament is obliged to deputise for him. This comes at a cost to the deputy with the possibility of losing his voting right. When it does happen, it gives an upper hand to the NDC in their avowed intent to scupper the e-levy.

If they find it difficult to exercise their brains to find a common ground on the e-levy but will decide to fight because they see themselves as beasts in the jungle where it is erroneously believed to be “the survival of the fittest” but actually “the survival of the animal that adapts most to its environment”, let them continue.

The hung parliament is not meant to be exploited by the NDC to weaken the government by preventing it from raising internally-generated income to carry out the development of the nation for the collective benefit of all and sundry.

The government on many occasions, or is constantly, being accused by the visionless NDC of borrowing too much money to the point of negating and or, making its agenda of “Ghana beyond aid” a laughing stock. They accuse the government of having borrowed too much money to have incurred a debt to the country that surpasses the total combined debts of all his predecessors, from the late President Dr Kwame Nkrumah through to former President Mahama’s.

These same NDC MPs, politicians and their sympathisers are bent on preventing the government from raising internally-generated income through taxes of which the e-levy is one. Are they not simply being malicious, populist and absurd?

If they were to love the people of Ghana and believe in the country’s development, they would suggest alternative ways of raising money internally but not just simply say, you cannot raise money by this or that means because Ghanaians are suffering, without actually suggesting or offering other viable options.

Let it be known to the parliamentarians that parliament is not for fools and pugilists but serious people intent on making laws that augur well for the safety, security and prosperity of the nation and the people therein.

Additionally, let Speaker Alban Bagbin understand that he cannot continue to play pranks on Ghanaians to hold the development of the nation in suspense. If his attitudes of leaving parliament when the crunch comes to vote on the e-levy sit well with him, they aren’t with many a politically savvy Ghanaian. They are simply diabolic to many a discerning Ghanaian.