Attrition rate in Parliament may get worse – ACEPA warns

The African Centre for Parliamentary Affairs (ACEPA) has warned that the attrition rate in Parliament may become worse in the near future unless political parties take proactive measures to address the situation.

The Executive Director of ACEPA, Dr. Rasheed Draman, says political parties seem to prioritize financially affluent individuals over competent MPs, contributing to the current state of affairs.

This concern arises in response to assertions made by the National Chairman of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), Johnson Asiedu Nketiah, who attributed the escalating attrition rate in Parliament to the excessive monetization of politics in Ghana.

Mr. Nketiah, in an interview on the Citi Breakfast Show on Citi FM on Thursday, claimed that there has been a deviation from the original purpose of serving the nation through law formulation, with MPs now using their parliamentary privileges to recoup campaign investments or advance personal business interests.

Dr. Draman bemoaned the prioritization of money over knowledge and experience by political parties.

“In advanced democracies, there are some seats that you don’t contest a sitting MP because of the wealth of knowledge or experience that he or she brings to the legislative agenda and the fact that the party needs the person to be in the House. Now the party looks at who has a fat wallet and who can win elections for them, even if the person is not going to bring anything to the table when it comes to the work of Parliament.”

He suggests that there should be a reevaluation of the positions within the executive arm granted to legislators, emphasizing the necessity of a disconnect in this regard.

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