Ayariga Proposes Parliamentary Oversight of Budgets for Independent Bodies
The Majority Leader in Parliament, Mahama Ayariga
Accra, Ghana- The Majority Leader in Parliament, Mahama Ayariga, has proposed the creation of a special parliamentary mechanism to oversee budgetary allocations to Ghana’s independent constitutional bodies, a move he says will safeguard their autonomy and prevent subtle executive control through financial restrictions.
Speaking on the floor of Parliament during consideration of a motion on budget estimates, Ayariga noted that despite constitutional provisions guaranteeing independence to institutions such as the Electoral Commission (EC), Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ), and the National Media Commission (NMC), their financial dependence on the executive undermines that freedom.
“Financial instruments and budgetary allocation can be a very subtle medium of control,” Ayariga cautioned. “If we do not devise a mechanism for dealing with budgeting for these independent constitutional bodies, the executive arm of government will use financial provisioning as a tool for control.”
He argued that Parliament must serve as the intermediary between these independent institutions and the Ministry of Finance, rather than allowing them to negotiate directly for budget ceilings. “It is my proposal that this House must develop a mechanism for determining budgetary allocation to these institutions,” Ayariga said. “Instead of their leadership engaging directly with the Minister of Finance, Parliament should be the institution that interfaces between them and the Minister in deciding what should go to these bodies.”
Mahama Ayariga referenced Article 46 of the 1992 Constitution, which insulates the Electoral Commission from “the direction or control of any person or authority,” noting that similar clauses apply to CHRAJ, the Audit Service, and the NMC. However, he said the absence of a clear constitutional process for budget formulation leaves these institutions financially vulnerable. He urged the House to amend its Standing Orders to require that independent bodies submit their proposed budgets to Parliament for consideration before being transmitted to the Ministry of Finance.
“Every year, they complain about inadequate provisioning. Even what has been approved, a lot of it is not released to them,” Ayariga said. “Increasingly, we find these pillars of democracy not functioning to the extent that we want them to, thereby undermining our democracy.”
The Majority Leader described the current arrangement as a “constitutional weakness” that the Constitutional Review Commission should address, but added that Parliament could act immediately through its own Standing Orders to “actualize the desire of the Constitution” for institutional independence.
“We can put in our Standing Orders provisions that make special arrangements for the consideration of the budgets of independent constitutional bodies,” he said, “to ensure that they are indeed insulated from all manner of executive control.”
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