Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, has called on African parliaments and their leaders to prioritize building and maintaining the trust of their citizens in order to prevent military coups and instability in parts of the continent.
He made this statement while addressing delegates at the 66th Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference in Accra, which brought together more than 600 participants from various Commonwealth countries.
The Speaker eulogized Ghana’s parliamentary journey and advised leaders across the African continent to take cues from it to strengthen their respective rule of law and constitutionalism.
“Our experimentation of parliamentary democracy is now a full-blown feature of our governance architecture. This year, we celebrate thirty years of stable parliamentary democracy. Ours is the safest democracy in the sub-region, which has in recent times developed notoriety for reversing and backsliding on its democratic journey.”
“Parliaments in the sub-region and in Africa, in particular, must try to understand the reasons for the loss of trust and confidence in the leadership of democratic processes and institutions that has characterized the recent disruptions of constitutional order and constitutionalism in the continent.”
He also emphasized the importance of trust and accountability in governance to ensure stability and democracy in the region.
“It is important for us to note that these disruptions are often started by civilian regimes themselves, and those that go against the dictates of their own constitutions and the mandate of the people are inviting others to take over. We should be able to pick the signals should there be any and to scare those disruptions away from our democracies in the future.”
Source:Fiilafmonline/CitiNews
