Speaker of Parliament Slams Politicians for Disrespecting Deceased MPs
Speaker of Parliament, Alban Sumana Bagbin, has expressed outrage over the growing trend of politicians turning funerals into campaign grounds. He lamented that once a Member of Parliament passes away, the focus shifts from mourning to jostling for their seat.
Recounting a past incident at a funeral in Fomena, Bagbin warned that anyone attending his funeral wearing a candidate’s campaign T-shirt would not be welcomed back.
“I told them that in the unlikely event that I am no more as a Member of Parliament, anybody who comes to my funeral with a T-shirt of another person will not go back,” he stressed.
Bagbin’s comments follow the death of Ernest Yaw Kumi, the Akwatia MP, who passed away on July 7, 2025. The Speaker criticized the practice of prioritizing a deceased MP’s replacement over mourning, saying, “We are all shocked by the demise of our colleague. But we’re just trying to do the proper thing.
And it could be any of us. That is what gave the public the impression that you don’t matter… So immediately it happens, nobody cares about the dead. They are looking at who is going to replace the dead”.
The Minority caucus recently staged a walkout in protest over comments made by Majority Leader Mahama Ayariga, who faulted Minority Leader Alexander Kwamina Afenyo-Markin for announcing Kumi’s death in the Speaker’s absence. Ayariga argued that this breached parliamentary protocol, insisting that only the Speaker is constitutionally mandated to communicate a vacancy to the House.
Bagbin’s warning serves as a call for respect and decorum in the treatment of deceased MPs. As the parliamentary session continues, it remains to be seen how politicians will respond to the Speaker’s plea for more dignified behavior.
