News:
April 26, 2021
Member of Parliament for Banda, Ahmed Ibrahim has said President Nana Akufo-Addo did not think through his appointment very well before nominating Deputy Ministers.
According to him, he is not surprised about the difficulties he had in announcing the list of his Deputy Minister nominees, until he appointed an adviser to advise him to be able to bring out their names.
“We heard names making rounds in social media, until Yaw Osafo Marfo was appointed senior presidential advisor two days after the names came count, meaning the President was encountering serious difficulties, I don’t think he thought through before bringing the names out”.
The Banda MP speaking in an interview pointed out that with the kind of hung parliament the country has, the president has appointed sixteen Regional Ministers and his policy is that he is not going to appoint Deputy Regional Ministers.
“You have given two of your 137 MPs Regional Ministers without deputies, how do you expect the regions to function. Can you imagine a serious debate going on in Parliament, it means the people of the Western Region are going to be deprived of their Regional Minister for some days?”
He backed his point by quoting Standing Order 16 (1), “A Member shall not absent himself during meetings for more than fifteen sittings days without the permission in writing of the Speaker. Any Member infringing this Order shall have his conduct referred to the Privileges Committee”.
Again, MPs Regional Ministers without deputies, would be heading their Regional Security meetings, they have to be there physically, how do you expect them to perform in a Parliament of 137:137?
Mr. Ibrahim further noted that, Ashanti Region with forty-seven constituencies without deputy ministers how is the region going to function as the region with most problems, you cannot operate the region without deputies.
Deputy ministers were in charge of political activities and organisations, who is going to do that work as the Minister is in charge of linking the regions, how can one person be visiting all the forty-four districts?, he queried
Greater Accra, the Minister has a lot on his hands, chieftaincy disputes, no deputy, he is an MP, and he should have been given a sector Ministry. “If you want to give out regional minister without deputy, then it should go to someone who is not an MP”.
He was however with the view that Kwabena Okyere Darko should have been made a sector minister having performed well previously as a Western Regional Minister. “Give him a sector Minister and appoint a noon MP as a Regional Minister since your policy is that you are not going to appoint Deputy Regional Ministers”.
Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com