{"id":103024,"date":"2025-11-12T19:53:59","date_gmt":"2025-11-12T19:53:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/?p=103024"},"modified":"2025-11-12T19:53:59","modified_gmt":"2025-11-12T19:53:59","slug":"when-common-sense-went-missing-in-parliament","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/?p=103024","title":{"rendered":"When common sense went missing in Parliament"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class='booster-block booster-read-block'>\n                <div class=\"twp-read-time\">\n                \t<i class=\"booster-icon twp-clock\"><\/i> <span>Read Time:<\/span>3 Minute, 13 Second                <\/div>\n\n            <\/div><div>\n<p>Common Sense Missing in Parliament\u00a0is no longer a joke; it is the unofficial Order Paper item that somehow never gets tabled, debated, or voted on. On an otherwise ordinary sitting day, something truly historic went missing in the House. <\/p>\n<p>Not a revolutionary bill. Not a landmark ruling. Not even a punctual start time. No, something far rarer vanished into thin air:\u00a0Common Sense.<\/p>\n<p>It started like all national emergencies do quietly. A motion was tabled, tempers warmed up faster than the microphones, and within minutes Honourable Members were passionately debating everything except the issue on the Order Paper. Somewhere between \u201cpoint of information\u201d and \u201con a more serious note, Mr. Speaker,\u201d\u00a0<em>Common Sense Missing in Parliament<\/em>\u00a0became the day\u2019s real agenda, as Common Sense quietly packed its bags and slipped out through the side door.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Common Sense Missing in Parliament: The Search for the Missing Item<\/h2>\n<p>At first, no one noticed. Because when you misplace something you rarely use, its absence doesn\u2019t ring any alarm bells. But soon, the symptoms were hard to ignore:<\/p>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Questions that required facts were answered with slogans.<\/li>\n<li>Genuine concerns from citizens were treated like heckling from the cheap seats.<\/li>\n<li>\u201cAccountability\u201d was pronounced with the same difficulty as a complicated foreign surname.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>A concerned usher whispered: \u201cHonourables, it appears Common Sense is missing.\u201d The House responded by setting up a\u00a0<em>bipartisan committee<\/em>\u00a0to investigate. Naturally, this committee was generously resourced with sitting allowances, per diems, and a mandate to deliver a report\u00a0<strong>after<\/strong>\u00a0the next election cycle. For context, similar democratic eyebrow-raisers repeatedly make international headlines (see the\u00a0BBC\u2019s Africa coverage).<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Where They Looked (and Carefully Didn\u2019t)<\/h2>\n<p>The committee\u2019s preliminary findings were impressive:<\/p>\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>The VIP Car Park:<\/strong>\u00a0No trace of Common Sense. Just fuel coupons.<\/li>\n<li><strong>The Cafeteria:<\/strong>\u00a0Only found subsidised lunch and unsubsidised egos.<\/li>\n<li><strong>The Chamber:<\/strong>\u00a0Microphones working, logic missing.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Public Gallery:<\/strong>\u00a0Citizens spotted clutching Common Sense tightly. They feared if they dropped it, it would be declared state property.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>Confronted with this failure, the House did what any self-respecting institution would do: blame social media. \u201cOur integrity is intact,\u201d they insisted, \u201cit is perception that is misbehaving.\u201d Naturally, they did not consider the possibility that perception was simply reading the Hansard or the<br \/>Parliament of Ghana\u2019s own records.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The Things Common Sense Would Have Said<\/h2>\n<p>If Common Sense had been allowed a speaking time of just five minutes, it might have suggested:<\/p>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>That public office is a stewardship, not a personal investment portfolio.<\/li>\n<li>That people who walk to the polling station deserve leaders who can walk through a budget.<\/li>\n<li>That shouting \u201cPoint of Order!\u201d is not a development policy.<\/li>\n<li>That transparency is cheaper than scandal.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>But alas, Common Sense had no lobbyist, no caucus, no protective standing orders. It remains outside the Chamber, mingling with market women, trotro drivers, nurses on night shift, techies building startups, and teachers stretching salaries. The irony? The people who have the least say in Parliament are using Common Sense the most. That\u2019s why we keep asking: why is\u00a0<em>Common Sense Missing in Parliament<\/em>\u00a0when it is so abundant on the streets?<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Breaking News: Possible Sighting<\/h2>\n<p>Reports indicate that Common Sense was last seen loitering near the<br \/>Republic of Uncommon Sense newsroom, sipping sobolo and filing op-eds. It allegedly refused an invitation to appear before the House until members agree to:<\/p>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Read the bills they vote on.<\/li>\n<li>Explain decisions to the people who pay their salaries.<\/li>\n<li>Debate issues with data, not decibels.<\/li>\n<li>Remember that \u201cHonourable\u201d is a job description, not a costume.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Until that day, Ghana\u2019s most important missing item will remain exactly where it is: with ordinary citizens who, despite everything, still know foolishness when they see it. And until we stop finding\u00a0Common Sense Missing in Parliament, the Republic will continue outsourcing its wisdom to market women and trotro mates.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n        <div class=\"booster-block booster-reactions-block\">\n            <div class=\"twp-reactions-icons\">\n                \n                <div class=\"twp-reacts-wrap\">\n                    <a react-data=\"be-react-1\" post-id=\"103024\" class=\"be-face-icons un-reacted\" href=\"javascript:void(0)\">\n                        <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/wp-content\/plugins\/booster-extension\/\/assets\/icon\/happy.svg\" alt=\"Happy\">\n                    <\/a>\n                    <div class=\"twp-reaction-title\">\n                        Happy                    <\/div>\n                    <div class=\"twp-count-percent\">\n                                                    <span style=\"display: none;\" class=\"twp-react-count\">0<\/span>\n                        \n                                                <span class=\"twp-react-percent\"><span>0<\/span> %<\/span>\n                                            <\/div>\n                <\/div>\n\n                <div class=\"twp-reacts-wrap\">\n                    <a react-data=\"be-react-2\" post-id=\"103024\" class=\"be-face-icons un-reacted\" href=\"javascript:void(0)\">\n                        <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/wp-content\/plugins\/booster-extension\/\/assets\/icon\/sad.svg\" alt=\"Sad\">\n                    <\/a>\n                    <div class=\"twp-reaction-title\">\n                        Sad                    <\/div>\n                    <div class=\"twp-count-percent\">\n                                                    <span style=\"display: none;\" class=\"twp-react-count\">0<\/span>\n                                                                        <span class=\"twp-react-percent\"><span>0<\/span> %<\/span>\n                                            <\/div>\n                <\/div>\n\n                <div class=\"twp-reacts-wrap\">\n                    <a react-data=\"be-react-3\" post-id=\"103024\" class=\"be-face-icons un-reacted\" href=\"javascript:void(0)\">\n                        <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/wp-content\/plugins\/booster-extension\/\/assets\/icon\/excited.svg\" alt=\"Excited\">\n                    <\/a>\n                    <div class=\"twp-reaction-title\">\n                        Excited                    <\/div>\n                    <div class=\"twp-count-percent\">\n                                                    <span style=\"display: none;\" class=\"twp-react-count\">0<\/span>\n                                                                        <span class=\"twp-react-percent\"><span>0<\/span> %<\/span>\n                                            <\/div>\n                <\/div>\n\n                <div class=\"twp-reacts-wrap\">\n                    <a react-data=\"be-react-6\" post-id=\"103024\" class=\"be-face-icons un-reacted\" href=\"javascript:void(0)\">\n                        <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/wp-content\/plugins\/booster-extension\/\/assets\/icon\/sleepy.svg\" alt=\"Sleepy\">\n                    <\/a>\n                    <div class=\"twp-reaction-title\">\n                        Sleepy                    <\/div>\n                    <div class=\"twp-count-percent\">\n                                                    <span style=\"display: none;\" class=\"twp-react-count\">0<\/span>\n                        \n                                                <span class=\"twp-react-percent\"><span>0<\/span> %<\/span>\n                                            <\/div>\n                <\/div>\n\n                <div class=\"twp-reacts-wrap\">\n                    <a react-data=\"be-react-4\" post-id=\"103024\" class=\"be-face-icons un-reacted\" href=\"javascript:void(0)\">\n                        <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/wp-content\/plugins\/booster-extension\/\/assets\/icon\/angry.svg\" alt=\"Angry\">\n                    <\/a>\n                    <div class=\"twp-reaction-title\">Angry<\/div>\n                    <div class=\"twp-count-percent\">\n                                                    <span style=\"display: none;\" class=\"twp-react-count\">0<\/span>\n                                                                        <span class=\"twp-react-percent\"><span>0<\/span> %<\/span>\n                        \n                    <\/div>\n                <\/div>\n\n                <div class=\"twp-reacts-wrap\">\n                    <a react-data=\"be-react-5\" post-id=\"103024\" class=\"be-face-icons un-reacted\" href=\"javascript:void(0)\">\n                        <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/wp-content\/plugins\/booster-extension\/\/assets\/icon\/surprise.svg\" alt=\"Surprise\">\n                    <\/a>\n                    <div class=\"twp-reaction-title\">Surprise<\/div>\n                    <div class=\"twp-count-percent\">\n                                                    <span style=\"display: none;\" class=\"twp-react-count\">0<\/span>\n                                                                        <span class=\"twp-react-percent\"><span>0<\/span> %<\/span>\n                                            <\/div>\n                <\/div>\n\n            <\/div>\n        <\/div>\n\n    ","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<div><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/www.myjoyonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/image-1079-150x150.png\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail wp-post-image\" alt=\"When common sense went missing in Parliament\" loading=\"lazy\" title=\"When common sense went missing in Parliament\">Common Sense Missing in Parliament\u00a0is no longer a joke; it is the unofficial Order Paper item that somehow never gets tabled, debated, or voted on. On an otherwise ordinary sitting day, something truly historic went missing in the House.<\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":{"facebook_2277560469115098_106292521332774":"","twitter_aToxNzczMzI3Njk4OTg4ODUxMjAxOw==_1773327698988851200":""},"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[12405,3243,1883,477,761,10,9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-103024","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-common-sense","category-jimmy-aglah","category-national","category-opinion","category-parliament","category-politics","category-popular"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/103024","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=103024"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/103024\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=103024"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=103024"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=103024"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}