Former Member of Parliament for Tamale Central, Inusah Fuseini, has voiced his disagreement with Speaker of Parliament Alban Bagbin over plans to introduce a National Vulture Award.
Speaking on the floor of Parliament, Speaker Bagbin announced the introduction of the National Vulture Award, which aims to name and shame individuals deemed to have the lowest levels of integrity.
“We shall name and shame those we consider as persons of low integrity. Therefore, apart from the National Integrity Award that will be given to men and women of integrity, there will also be what is termed the Vulture Award, which will be bestowed upon individuals considered to have the lowest levels of integrity in the country,” he stated.
However, the former lawmaker advised the Speaker to focus instead on rooting out corruption within Parliament rather than overstepping his powers.
According to him, it would be more appropriate for the executive to champion such an initiative rather than the Speaker, given that there are internal issues within Parliament that need urgent attention.
“What the Speaker should do is to focus on addressing corruption within Parliament because there are many issues that need to be dealt with. There are perceptions of corruption within the legislature.
“So the Speaker should begin within the limits of his authority. He should concentrate on ensuring that Parliament, through its activities and conduct, demonstrates its commitment to the fight against corruption,” he stated.
He added that if the executive were to introduce such an award scheme, it would be more justifiable since it falls within their mandate to uphold national values.
“I will not have a problem with the executive introducing this award scheme because the executive authority of the state, under Article 68, is vested in the President.
“If the President wants to champion the values of our country through an award scheme—similar to the national awards scheme—and establish clear and assessable standards that hold recipients accountable based on selection criteria, I would have no issue with it,” he emphasized.
