Alban Bagbin, Speaker of the parliament, denied rumors that
he asserted his superiority over the President.
He asserted that he never uttered the statements that have
been ascribed to him in various circles.
He explained what he stated during a meeting with the
management of Media General on June 29 in Accra since, in his opinion, it had
been misinterpreted.
He said that it is simpler to impeach the president, which
calls for two-thirds of the members of parliament, than to remove the speaker
of the house, which calls for three-quarters.
"Sometimes the mood in Parliament is tense and you see
that I bring a joke to defuse it, then they want for us to go and start
again," Mr. Bagbin added. In a hung parliament like this one, where no one
is for you, there are some scales that you must employ.
"My party, the NDC, expects me to support them, but I
don't, therefore they're upset with me. The NPP views me as an adversary and
believes that I always disagree with them. I occasionally make decisions in
their favor, which makes them pleased. However, the following day, when I make
decisions that are unfavorable to them, they inform me that they are in
government. I advise them to study the Constitution's description of government
instead.
Our constitution states that the government is the
president. The executive power is the
body in which it lives, and the president alone is able to execute it. He may
delegate it to his ministers, but it ultimately rests with him. As a result,
the president of Ghana is the country's head of state; I am not a part of it.
"The President is not superior to me; we are equal
partners. Mentioning God the Father before addressing God the Son and God the
Holy Spirit is only a matter of formality.
"That doesn't mean that God the Father is superior to
God the Holy Spirit, and so our system or concept is that, and I have said it
several times, and people say that I am more powerful than the president, no, I
have never said that, the concept is that it is simpler to remove a president
by the impeachment of two-thirds of the Members of Parliament than it is to
remove a speaker, which is three-quarters, which is more difficult, and that is
what is in our constitution."
Beatrice Agyemang, Group Chief Executive Officer of Media
Genera, welcomed Mr. Bagbin to the company's facilities in Adseawa Kanda,
Accra, in relation to his visit.
She described the roles played by the various departments
inside the business. She said that this was the first time a Speaker of
Parliament had gone to Media General.
TV3 is ranked first, Madam Agyeman informed the Speaker.
"We have a strong editorial committee to ensure that we
are very balanced transparent and fair in our reportage," she continued.
"Every news item you see goes through scrutiny."
She emphasized, "I am hoping that this is the start of
a nice relationship.
