First Deputy Speaker of Parliament Joseph Osei-Owusu, also known as Joe Wise, has publicly expressed his disappointment with the performance and conduct of Ghana’s 8th Parliament. He believes the current Parliament’ lacks focus, is marred by controversies, and has failed to prioritize lawmaking, its core responsibility.
Joe Wise noted that the 8th Parliament has fallen short of the legislative standards set by previous sessions. Instead of focusing on lawmaking, the House has been frequently sidetracked by unnecessary disputes.
He specifically highlighted the low number of laws passed during this session compared to previous ones, emphasizing that the legislative output has been conspicuously low in both major laws and smaller legislative instruments.
He cited that the Parliament of Ghana has various committees and processes in place to ensure effective lawmaking, including the Committee on Defence and Interior, the Committee on Health, and the Finance Committee. However, despite these structures, the 8th Parliament has struggled to meet expectations.