Accra, Jan. 20, GNA - Mr Peter Ala Adjetey, the Speaker of Parliament on Tuesday, said the conduct and outcome of this year's general election would be a "yardstick for measuring the maturity of Ghana's democracy." Opening of the Fourth Session of the Third Parliament in Accra, the Speaker said the world was going to watch the conduct of the elections and expressed the hope that it would be "as peaceful as the previous one."

Mr Ala Adjetey reminded members of Parliament that the opening of this "session marks the beginning of the end" for some of them since some would lose their seats after the elections. He, therefore, urged them to show commitment in their work in the house to ensure their place in the next Parliament. He urged members to work assiduously as representatives of the people to ensure good governance, transparency and pursue activities that would improve the lifestyles of the people.

The Speaker, who has at previous sittings deplored the poor attendance of Members, expressed the hope that members would adopt a different approach to business in the House by being punctual. He also challenged members to put a stop to the pretence of only putting in an appearance in the chambers only to leave after a while instead of sitting through proceedings.

On some expectations for the year, the Speaker expressed the hope that work on the Job 600 Project would be completed to enable the Parliamentary Service Board give offices to Members. "The lack of infrastructure and resources is hindering the work of Parliament yet the House has lived up to expectations," the Speaker noted.

People from all walks of life including dignitaries and Parliamentarians from the West African Sub-Region graced the opening ceremony. The Police Band was in attendance. Present were the Deputy Speaker of the Togolese National Assembly, Mr Kpade Koffi Gbekende and Mrs. Bidwell Beundagun, Deputy Speaker of the Gambian National Assembly, who read goodwill messages. Other goodwill messages came from the National Assemblies of Benin, Senegal and Cote D' Ivoire.

Earlier, there were cheers from both the Minority and the Majority as the Speaker made his way into the chamber for the opening ceremony, which saw the Speaker in his new ceremonial attire with an accompanying wide-brimmed hat to match. The attire, which Mr Alban Bagbin, the Minority Leaders described as "the ancient robe of British Lords", adding that the attire signified that the colonial umbilical cord was still intact.

Reviewing some of the success stories of the previous year, Mr Ala Adjetey said various bills, including the Local Government Service and the National Health Insurance bills were passed, not without incidence though. He said, although the National Health Insurance Bill attracted polarised opinion, the House was able to pass it and it had received the Presidential Assent.

The Speaker also commended Parliament for taking part in sub-regional programmes including that of the African Parliamentary Union and deliberating on various international protocols such as the 1991 Accord on the International Maritime Organisation. The Deputy Speaker of the Gambian National Assembly, Mrs Beundagun, in her goodwill message earlier on, expressed appreciation for the warm reception given her entourage and said they had a lot to learn from Ghana's thriving democracy since they in the Gambia had a very young democracy.

She said Ghana was a focused country and the evolution of her democracy was copying. She observed that the Ghanaian community in the Gambia was hard working and there were much intermarriage between the nationals of the two countries, which augured well for a closer relationship. She urged women Parliamentarians in the sub- region to join forces to fight poverty and the HIV/AIDS menace as their contribution to society.