Eighth Parliament “most disappointing” in Fourth Republic, says Ebenezer Ayesu

Heritage Christian University College’s associate professor and dean of students, Ebenezer Ayesu, has labelled Ghana’s 8th Parliament the “most disappointing” of the Fourth Republic, offering a stark critique of the legislative body’s current dynamics.

In a conversation on Asaase Radio’s The Forum on Saturday (26 October), Ayesu reflected on the state of parliamentary affairs, acknowledging that while individual MPs and the institution itself have made positive contributions, the overall performance has left much to be desired. 

“The most disappointing parliament we’ve had in the fourth republic—that would be my assessment in general,” Ayesu stated. 

“Yes, individuals in the Parliament have done some good work. Parliament itself has also done some good work but the generality of it all is that their minuses are too many,” he added.

Ayesu attributed the current parliamentary gridlock largely to the prevalence of “skirt and blouse” voting—where voters split their support between different parties for presidential and parliamentary candidates. 

He noted that this voting pattern, driven by party dynamics, has compounded challenges in passing legislation. 

“We are in this mess because of the ‘skirt and blouse’ voting that we did, and which was necessitated by the actions of the party machinery both left and right,” Ayesu explained.

He called for constitutional amendments to create a more cohesive political framework. 

“So what I’m looking forward to is that we learn lessons from this and then make the necessary adjustment,” Ayesu stated.

“The biggest of all will have to be making amendments to the current constitution, which was made for one person and his party and that is what is playing out now in this current Parliament.”

“We should go to the polls to get a clear-cut majority in parliament, even if they will be partisan throughout; that would be much better than what we are seeing now,” he concluded.

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