News:
November 6, 2018
Former Deputy Minister of Energy under, former President Kufuor’s administration, Kobina Tahir Hammond has kicked against the proposed committee of selections work, forcing the House to step down the recomposing of the committees in Parliament.
According to the former Deputy Minister of Energy, he took a legal objection to the whole process and pointed out that under the standing orders of Parliament if you want to recompose, you need to involve the said chairman or chairperson you want to change for the person to give his or her consent.
“Everybody is complaining they are ignoring the provision of order 193 (a) during the session of Parliament by the committee of selection with the consent of the member concern or failing that, at the request of two thirds of all the members of the Parliamentary party to which the member belong or in the case of an independent member by simple majority of members of the House”.
He further pointed out that committee changes is not like a Presidential reshuffle, whoever they want to change is in the hands of the President as he has constitutional backings, he lamented.
Again it was envisaged that when we have a committee in place it would run its normal four year term, “I do not think they contemplated on the removal of a chairman, we have rules let us follow the rules”.
“Why do we want to bulldoze our way through, I do not have a clue, if they are not performing you can move them around, but there are rules”, he lamented.
Mr. K. T Hammond in an interview with journalists in Parliament pointed out that chairman of the Mines and Energy committee hinted him that, “haven’t you heard I was not consulted? They say they are moving me”.
The step down new composition of the committee William Agyepong Quattoo is being made the new chairman, whiles Emmanuel Akwasi Gyamfi the current chairman of Mines and Energy is being moved to Local Government and Rural Development.
By: Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/ghanamps.com