The Rt. Hon. Speaker A.S.K Bagbin has on his second-day visit to the Northern Region paid a courtesy call on His Majesty, Ndan Yaa Naa Abukari in Yendi.
The Yaa Naa in his welcome remarks congratulated him on his election as the Speaker of Ghana’s Parliament. He indicated that his election shows how well the country has embraced democracy as a choice of governance.
He said, “You have so far demonstrated that your appointment was purely on merit. I am highly impressed about your neutrality and fairness on the floor of Parliament”.
He further added that the visit of the Speaker indicates his readiness and recognition to collaborate with the traditional authorities as major stakeholders in the governance system of the country and that Dagbon chiefs are ready to collaborate with him to ensure that he leaves an excellent footprint in the Parliament of Ghana.
He lamented that the northern part of Ghana is far behind the southern part in terms of development despite the vast arable lands it is endowed with and therefore entreated Mr. Speaker to ensure that bills targeting the alleviation of poverty and upliftment of the north economically are passed to create opportunities for the teaming youth and bridge the economic gap between the north and the south.
In his response, the Rt. Hon. Speaker called for peace to reign to create the atmosphere to receive the needed development in the north. He, therefore, called for the need to do away with enmity to development and see poverty as the common enemy.
He added that politics is not meant to divide us but to unite us.
According to the Rt. Hon. Speaker, he sees traditional leaders as partners in development and therefore disagrees with the provisions in the 1992 constitution that prevents chiefs from taking part in active partisan politics and will therefore set the tone for a national discourse on the possibility of creating an avenue for chiefs, religious leaders and Civil Society Organizations to play active politics to contribute to the country’s development.
He advised the youth on the need to build their capacity in order to take advantage of the opportunities that will be created.
Mr. Speaker informed the Yaa Naa of the 30th-anniversary celebrations of uninterrupted parliamentary democracy under the fourth republic and invited him to grace the public forum on Friday,16th June 2023 at the University for Development Studies, Tamale.
The forum seeks to take stock of Parliament’s achievements, challenges, opportunities and the way forward.
The Rt. Hon. Speaker takes his next visit on Wednesday to Damango, where he will be paying a courtesy call on the Yagbonwura.
