Dr. Rashid Pelpuo, the Member of Parliament for Wa Central, has raised serious concerns about the changes to Parliament’s Standing Orders, which he believes could disrupt the effective management of government business in the House.
Speaking in an interview on The Big Issue on Channel One TV on Saturday, November 9, Dr. Pelpuo shared his reservations about these revised Standing Orders, which he said create new, ambiguous procedural issues that could hinder the government’s legislative agenda.
According to the Wa Central MP, one key concern is the potential for the Minority Leader to present government business to Parliament, even if the Minority caucus does not hold the designated role of Leader of Government Business.
Pelpuo explained that this situation is unprecedented and goes against long-standing parliamentary norms, where the government’s representative in Parliament would traditionally lead government business.
He noted that the new Standing Orders have made this process more complex, blurring the lines between government and opposition responsibilities within the legislative framework.
In his view, these new rules could create confusion, ultimately affecting Parliament’s ability to advance crucial government policies and initiatives efficiently.
“There is a problem in our new Standing Orders that needs to be corrected. In the new Standing Orders, there is the leader of Government Business and there is the Minority Leader. Now, it is possible for the Minority Leader to be the one who brings government business to the House but in the present order given by the Standing Orders, there is a Leader of Government Business and there is a Minority Leader and the Minority may be a majority and may not be a Leader of Government Business because government will not give its business to the opposition to lead.
“And so in this particular instance, Afenyo-Markin is the leader of Government Business and he should be interested in seeing government business go through. He should fight to get his colleagues to meet the Speaker and insist on how business should be carried out.
“A letter to the Speaker indicating why Parliament should be recalled can never be the business of the House. It is to simply convince the Speaker on why Parliament should be recalled.”
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