The National Pledge will be recited to commence parliamentary sessions on Tuesday, February 6, marking the official start of the new standing orders.
This important change to the new standing orders requires heads of institutions to personally appear before Parliament to answer questions about their agencies. This is a change from the previous practice, in which Ministers of State could answer questions on their behalf.
As per this revised structure, the national pledge will be recited by Members of Parliament during a roll call at the beginning of the session.
First Deputy Minority Whip in Parliament Ahmed Ibrahim explained the changes, emphasizing that independent entities like the Auditor General, the Electoral Commission, the head of CHRAJ, the governor of BoG, the NCCE, and the governor will now be subject to the same scrutiny as ministers on the floor of the legislature.
“Just like ministers, independent entities such as the Electoral Commission, the head of CHRAJ, the governor of BoG, NCCE, and the Auditor General will be interrogated on the floor; in addition, the new Standing Orders specify how inquiries on the floor will be addressed.
“In the past, the EC could claim it had no audience on the floor if it was invited, and the Minister would usually be needed if the Common Fund Administrator was obliged to attend. That is no longer the case, though.
“A committee may now question the administrator in person, and the administrator may reply to questions as needed. The new Standing Orders now include the process for responding to inquiries.”
