PARLIAMENTARY PROCEEDINGS TO BE BROADCAST LIVE
Mr Alban Bagbin, Majority Leader of Parliament, has announced that
plans are far advanced to broadcast parliamentary proceedings live both
on radio and television nation-wide.
The move, he said is part
of plans to enhance the workings of the Ghanaian Parliament which is
now in the process of evolving from just a law-making body to an
important tool of good governance which ensures that the constituents
they represent are conversant with what goes on during parliamentary
sessions.
Mr. Babgin, who is also the MP for Nadowli North, was
launching the first ever media forum with both the Minority and
Majority leaders of Parliament in Kumasi on Monday.
The forum,
among other things, would create a platform for the media corps in the
region to interact with the parliamentarians and ask pertinent
questions to facilitate a better media understanding of the roles and
functions of parliament to deepen democracy.
The Majority leader
said Hansards and other important documents on parliamentary
proceedings would also be made available to the print media for
excerpts to be published for public consumption.
He said this
would facilitate a clear public and media appreciation of how
Parliament operates, the absence of which has portrayed a negative
image about Parliamentarians who were often bashed and run down by
media personnel.
Mr. Babgin underscored the need for a reversal
of such a situation since the media and parliamentarians are not
enemies but worthy partners with the latter carrying out its mandate to
disseminate and educate the people on policies formulated by Parliament.
Mr.
Kyei Mensah-Bonsu, Minority Leader and MP for Suame Constituency in
Kumasi, answering a question as to whether the public outcry for the
review of certain parts of the constitution is plausible, called for a
total review of the constitution. He said it would be difficult to
amend just a portion of the constitution which is not entrenched.
But he quickly added that, the task of totally reviewing the constitution was very difficult, which calls for a referendum.
Mr.
I.K Gyasi, former Headmaster of TI Ahmadiyya Senior High School, who
moderated admonished the media to use hteir powerful influence
judiciously.
He said they should not abuse that power by
tarnishing the hard won image of politicians and be humble enough to
apologise when they are faulted.
Source: GNA
