News:
June 13, 2017
The Member of Parliament for (MP) North-Tongu and a member of the Appointment Committee from the Minority side, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa has reveal in an interview with ghanamps.com, the Minority will fully participate in the vetting of her ladyship Chief Justice (CJ) nominee and the District Assembly Common Fund (DACF) Administrator nominee.
Her ladyship Chief Justice nominee Justice Sophia Akuffo will be vetted on the 19th of June 2017, whiles the DACF administrator nominee, Naa Torshie-Addo will be vetted on the 20th of June 2017. He noted that, both side of the committee met and agreed on the modalities for the vetting of her ladyship the Chief Justice nominee.
“You will see a lot of procedures will change when we vet the CJ nominee, I can also confirm that we have resolve the issues that characterized the last vetting”. We are always committed to our job, there was a clear case of disregard for our process and parliament that is why we protested, but this time I can assure you, we are working together and cooperating together, he said.
The Minority side of the Appointment Committee, boycotted vetting of the last batch of President Nana Akufo-Addo’s Ministers. Due diligence will be done, as to what were some of the changes that got both side to work together, the North-Tongue legislator did not disclose, but said you will see them. I will not go into further details but you will see a format that allows better probing of issues and more scrutiny.
We are growing as a Parliament base on the feedback we receive from members of the general public and our own review it has become very necessary that we reviewer the way we go about our work. This will give the nominees the opportunity to give off their best and in the interest of members of the public, but mind you this is not to intimidate nominees that come before us, he said.
Background
The Minority members of Parliaments Appointment Committee boycotted the last sitting of the committee over concerns that they were being overstretched. Per the original programme of the committee, vetting of last batch of ministers nominated by President Nana Akufo-Addo was supposed to be continued after the House returned from recess in May.
Explaining to journalists in Parliament what triggered the minority’s decision to boycott the exercise, a minority member on the committee, and North Tongu MP, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, said the agreement was to suspend sitting.
Mr. Ablakwa said this was to allow members do a thorough scrutiny of the nominees before Parliament returned from recess in May, but lamented that the whole process was being “rushed” through, which “does not augur well for the diligence of work members are expected to do.”
Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/ghanamps.com /ghanamps.com