Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, has renewed calls for constitutional reforms that would see religious and traditional leaders formally represented in Parliament, arguing that such a move would make the country’s legislature more nationalistic and reduce the deep political partisanship that characterises its current composition.
According to the Speaker, Ghana’s governance system should better reflect the country’s traditional and religious leadership structures, which he believes command greater trust and influence within communities than politicians.
Bagbin made the remarks while delivering the keynote address at the ongoing National Development Conference organised by the Church of Pentecost.
The Speaker said the time had come for the country to reconsider the composition of Parliament as part of the ongoing discussions on constitutional reforms.
He argued that incorporating religious and traditional leaders into the legislative arm of government would strengthen national cohesion and ensure that Parliament better represents the interests and values of the Ghanaian people.
“I am one of those campaigning that in the constitutional review, we should include the religious leaders and the traditional leaders in Parliament because that is where the true leadership is, not with the politicians. Because when the people get up and they are in trouble, they don’t go to the politicians first. They go to their religious and traditional leaders.
“They only come to politicians when it has to do with politics. Yet, we go and impose ourselves as the leaders of those societies. How can we mobilise them to develop the nation? I think we need to take this on board and I want all of you to be involved in the discussions to review our national constitution.”
Also speaking at the event, the Paramount Chief of the Breman Asikuma Traditional Area and President of the Central Regional House of Chiefs, Odeefuo Amoakwa Buadu VIII, who represented the President of the National House of Chiefs, called for greater recognition of the Ministry responsible for Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs in line with the provisions of the Constitution.
He stressed the need for the government to strengthen the institutional framework supporting chieftaincy, noting that traditional authorities remain indispensable partners in national development, conflict resolution and cultural preservation.
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