Governance and anti-corruption advocate Edem Senanu has criticised the leadership of Parliament over the recent chaotic scenes during the vetting of Supreme Court nominees, saying the incident exposed a failure to build consensus within the House.
Speaking on TV3’s Key Points, Mr Senanu said Parliament needed mature and experienced leadership capable of bringing lawmakers together to resolve contentious issues without allowing disagreements to degenerate into disorder.
His comments follow a heated confrontation during the Appointment Committee’s sitting to vet nominees for the Supreme Court.
The disagreement arose after the Minority raised concerns about what it described as an ambush following the appearance of the nominees before the committee.
The Minority Leader, Alexander Afenyo-Markin, questioned the urgency and circumstances surrounding the vetting process.
He stressed that the Minority was not questioning the competence of the Supreme Court nominees but was concerned about what he described as the intentions and processes adopted by the Majority.
However, the First Deputy Speaker, Bernard Ahiafor, who chaired the proceedings, dismissed the Minority’s objections as frivolous and insufficient grounds to suspend the vetting.
The disagreement subsequently escalated into heated exchanges, shouting and confrontations among lawmakers.
Members of the Minority also raised concerns about the need for the Parliamentary Service and other public officials to maintain political neutrality.
The developments eventually resulted in a walkout by the Minority, bringing further attention to tensions within Parliament.
Edem Senanu calls for mature parliamentary leadership
Reacting to the incident, Mr Senanu described the scenes as unnecessary and distasteful, particularly because the apparent inability of parliamentary leaders to reach consensus was broadcast to the public.
He argued that parliamentary leaders must have the experience and maturity required to manage disagreements and find common ground on contentious matters.
Mr Senanu called for what he described as “older, mature leadership” capable of facilitating dialogue and consensus-building within Parliament.
He compared the conduct of the current parliamentary leadership with that of some experienced former parliamentary leaders, including J.H. Mensah, Alban Bagbin and Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, whom he said demonstrated stronger capacity for dialogue and consensus-building.
‘Disagreements are inevitable’
According to Mr Senanu, disagreements are an inevitable part of parliamentary democracy, but such differences should be managed through dialogue rather than confrontation.
He maintained that political leaders have a responsibility to ensure that disagreements do not undermine the dignity of Parliament or result in proceedings descending into chaos.
He urged parliamentary leaders to strengthen consensus-building and adopt more effective approaches to resolving disputes, particularly on sensitive national issues.
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