The Deputy Majority Leader of Parliament, Mr John Akologo Tia, has proposed a clear separation of powers between the executive arm of government and the legislature to ensure efficiency of Parliament. He stressed the need for a critical look at Article 78 chapter 8 of the 1992 Constitution, which among other things stipulates that majority of ministers of state should be appointed from among Members of Parliament. Mr Tia further explained that when such a system is reviewed, it would help erase the general perception among Ghanaians that the legislature was not an autonomous body and was loosing its grips on the executive arm of government. The deputy majority leader was responding to questions from the media regarding public perception that the legislature was ineffective in checking the executive arm of government at a press conference in Tamale. The conference was to help sensitise the public on the proposed implementation of the universal adult suffrage of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), Parliament by 2010. "As it is now, I do not think it is good enough for a Member of Parliament to be elected by the people to champion their course and later relinquish that when it comes to voting on particular issues. MPs must have some independence to satisfy the aspirations of members of their respective constituencies" Mr Tia pointed out. Mr Tia, who is also the MP for the Talensi Constituency and leader of Ghana's eight-member delegation to the ECOWAS Parliament, said the current system of governance did not give the legislature financial independence as it always had to depend on the executive to address its financial needs. "One limitation Parliament has is its inability to provide some basic needs that will enhance its work; Parliament is handicapped when it comes to the provision of a well resourced library, personnel and adequate resources for instance to pass a bill into law," Mr Tia observed. Source: Daily Graphic