Former Speaker of Parliament, Prof Mike Oquaye, has expressed concern about what he considers a steady decline in Parliament’s effectiveness as an oversight body, attributing the problem to excessive executive influence and entrenched political patronage.
Prof Oquaye argued that many lawmakers from the ruling party prioritise securing the President’s attention for potential ministerial appointments, rather than focusing on their constitutional mandate to scrutinise the executive.
He said this misplaced incentive structure has weakened Parliament’s capacity to act as a meaningful check on executive power, contributing to poor attendance and limited engagement in legislative business.
“No wonder Parliament cannot be a check on the executive,” he observed, pointing to what he described as a system that fails to reward independence and accountability.
According to Prof. Oquaye, the concentration of power at the Presidency has distorted the behaviour of MPs, with many directing their energy towards Jubilee House instead of Parliament.
“The Member of Parliament whose party is in power is more anxious to catch the eye of the President to become a Minister than to catch the eye of the Speaker,” he said in an interview with Channel One TV.
“No wonder most of the time, parliament is virtually empty, because the system has no countervailing mechanisms, and everybody is looking towards the one and only source, that is the Jubilee House,” he added.
Prof Oquaye warned that without deliberate structural reforms to strengthen parliament’s autonomy and authority, the imbalance between the executive and legislature would continue to undermine democratic governance in Ghana.
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