News:
June 13, 2017
Ranking Member on Foreign Affairs Committee and a Member of the Appointment Committee of the Seventh Parliament, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, is advocating for the Minority to side of the House to chair the Appointment Committee as the House revises the standing orders in an interview. He noted that, especially with the Second Deputy Speaker from the Minority side it will not be a bad idea more so when the Public Account is chaired by the Minority.
In addition, the North-Tongue MP is pushing for a change in a practice in the House where Ministers vet their colleague Ministers, even as Parliament constitute the committees before the President makes his appointment.
We are masters of our own rules, as soon as MPs are named Ministers we can reconstitute the committees, so that we have the confident we need from members of the general public. That is why this whole vetting process does not proceed until we have some feedback from members of the general public, he said.
Again in terms of issues the public may have against nominees, I can tell you that, the public has been very helpful with information, he remarked. He further pushed for reforms, where various committees in Parliament that have oversight responsibility over the various sector Ministries.
Sector Ministers nominees, would appear before the various Committees to be vetted for example the educational Minister nominee will appear before the education committee to be vetted, “these reforms should happen in this seventh Parliament and we should take advantage of the review of our standing orders”.
Ministers have to prove themselves they are cut-out for a new Ministries, when the President reshuffle his Ministers to different Ministries, they should go for vetting again.
Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/ghanamps.com