Minority Chief Whip slams ‘lazy’ ministers for snubbing Parliament 

The Minority Caucus in Parliament has launched a scathing attack on ministers from the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC), describing them as “lazy” and disrespectful to Parliament for continuously absenting themselves from the chamber when required to respond to questions.

The criticism was led by the Minority Chief Whip and Member of Parliament for Nsawam-Adoagyiri, Frank Annoh-Dompreh, during Tuesday’s parliamentary sitting.

Speaking passionately on the floor, Annoh-Dompreh expressed frustration over what he described as an emerging trend of ministers consistently failing to appear before Parliament to answer questions posed by Members of Parliament (MPs).

According to him, ministers have developed the habit of informing the House that they are “not available,” instead of formally communicating through the proper parliamentary process.

“All we hear is that ‘I’m not available, I’m not available.’ Fine, you can write to this House that you are not available, but it is for the House — not you — to determine whether your reasoning is acceptable or not,” he said.

The Minority Chief Whip reminded the House that parliamentary procedure requires ministers to appear before MPs when summoned to account for their stewardship.

Where ministers are unable to attend personally, their deputies are expected to represent them.

He lamented that the lack of ministerial attendance has led to a backlog of unanswered questions, thereby delaying parliamentary oversight duties.

“It’s worrying. We have questions piling up, and we are not getting answers. Maybe the Business Committee must reflect on this matter. Parliament cannot be at the discretion of the Executive — that cannot be,” Annoh-Dompreh warned, stressing that the independence of Parliament must be protected from executive interference.

The heated debate followed ongoing complaints from MPs across both sides of the House that ministers often disregard scheduled question times, forcing parliamentary business to stall.

Annoh-Dompreh, who also serves on the Business Committee, revealed that this issue has been discussed multiple times without resolution.

He insisted that the committee must set firm dates for ministers to appear and ensure compliance going forward.

He singled out the Minister for Roads and Highways as one of the few who regularly attends parliamentary sittings to respond to questions, commending him while challenging other ministers to emulate his example.

“In fact, if there is any minister who is always in the chamber, with the greatest respect to my colleagues who are ministers, it’s the Roads Minister. But the rest? They must sit up,” he remarked.

Annoh-Dompreh further rejected the notion by the Majority Leader that MPs engage in “long-winded debates,” describing such comments as “unfortunate” and disrespectful to Parliament.

“This is the Parliament of Ghana, and we determine our business. The Executive cannot dictate to us. Everything we say here matters. Every debate is important,” he fired back.

The Minority’s intervention reignited longstanding tensions between Parliament and the Executive over accountability and attendance.

Historically, the Parliament has struggled to compel ministers to respect question time, a situation that has often weakened legislative scrutiny.

The Nsawam-Adoagyiri MP urged the Speaker to exercise his authority and ensure ministers comply with standing orders, warning that continued absenteeism could erode public confidence in parliamentary work.

“This is a House of the people,” he indicated. “Ministers must not treat it with contempt. They owe this country a duty to appear, respond, and be accountable.”