Starting next year, Members of Parliament face the risk of finding themselves stranded at the chamber’s door if they arrive late, as Speaker Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin has declared his intention to lock the doors promptly at 10 am. The Speaker emphasized that the tardiness of lawmakers has been impacting the timely commencement of the House’s proceedings, prompting this strict measure to enhance productivity. Bagbin firmly stated, “There is nowhere in the world where the Speaker will have to go and sit and wait for MPs to come in; it does not happen. So please, from the first meeting of the fourth session of the Eighth Parliament of the Fourth Republic, at 10 am, the doors will be locked.”
He further suggested that if legislators find it challenging to adhere to the 10 am timeline, an alternative could be reached by reaching a consensus to commence sessions in the afternoon and extend into the evening.
“At 10 am, the doors will be locked. The Speaker will be in, and it will take some time before the doors will be opened. Not that they won’t be opened, but it will take some time. And so if you are not able to comply with it, let us all agree that we will start sitting in the afternoon, from 2 p.m. or 4 p.m.; the Committees will have their meetings in the morning; reports will be ready for us to consider in the afternoon,” Bagbin explained.
He underscored that the habit of arriving late to parliament will no longer be tolerated, urging the two Caucuses to discuss and propose viable solutions to address the issue.
