MPs are ‘worse-off’ in Ghana’s governance – Kwakye Ofosu

Minister for Government Communications, Felix Kwakye Ofosu, says Members of Parliament (MPs) in Ghana are less fortunate in the governance system, given the stress they regularly endure.

Speaking with Umaru Sanda Amadu on a Face-to-face prime time television show on Tuesday night, the minister, who also serves as Member of Parliament for Abura-Asebu-Kwamankese, says the demands of the job put them in a difficult situation.

He said prior to becoming a lawmaker, he had not fully accepted the assertion from incumbent MPs that constituents expected a great deal from their representatives.

He did concede, though, that he had experienced it when he was running as a Parliamentary Candidate, and it was something they had “signed up for”.

“On a given day when I’m there, I can meet 300 to 500 people. You need to be there to experience it. I thought that MPs exaggerated when they spoke about the pressure they are under, but even whilst I was a Parliamentary Candidate, it was something that I felt.”

He continued: “Even being an MP alone is stressful, and I must indicate that contesting and running for MP has opened my eyes to a lot of things. I used to underestimate the kind of stress MPs come under, but I’m telling you that of all the actors within the governance space, perhaps MPs are the worse-off.”

The 1992 Constitution allows Ministers of State to double as Members of Parliament in a hybrid system of government.

Calls have repeatedly grown to scrap the system to enhance the efficiency of elected officials.

During the interview, the minister also said he was managing his time effectively to ensure he could competently fulfill his duties in the Jubilee House, where his office is located, while representing his constituents in Parliament.