- "I was profoundly impressed by (the) madam, particularly with her depth of experiences and knowledge. She is a gift to your country." - Frank Annoh-Dompreh, Ghanaian Chief Whip.
Frank Annoh-Dompreh, the Majority Chief Whip of the 8th Parliament of Ghana has praised former National Resistance Movement (NRM) Secretary General and current Minister for General Duties in the Office of the Prime Minister, Rt. Hon. Justine Kasule Lumumba as a heavenly gift sent to Uganda.
Mr. Annoh-Dompreh said this after a presentation by Minister Lumumba (who is also a former Government Chief Whip) on the Whipping System of Uganda that she presented before the Visiting Delegation of the Business Committee of the Ghanaian Parliament that he was part of.
The Visiting Ghanaian delegation was impressed by what they termed as “her depth of knowledge and experience” in governance and Parliamentary Systems that they ended up asking her the entire information on the subject such as the role of MPs, their privileges and more – where she guided accordingly.
Lumumba discussed such topics as Diplomacy in Parliament, How Government Whips Must Work with Opposition to Strike Balances on Passing Bills and Other Government Business, How Members of Parliament are Expected to be Senior Counsel in their Communities or Constituencies, Attitude of Voters Towards MPs, Composition of Decision-Making Table – which includes not only top political leaders but also elders, senior citizens, the army and others. She also emphasized that when it comes to passing bills and others agendas the whip focuses on practice not law.
“The whipping system in Parliament has evolved from the traditional role of mobilizing support for votes on important Party decisions in Parliament to that of management of the Members of the Party Caucuses. Without Whips, there could be anarchy in Parliament and so the Whips help to oil and deepen Party discipline and unity of purpose in Parliament.” Lumumba stressed.
She appealed to the Visiting Ghanaian Delegation to work together and improve the spirit of Pan Africanism.