By: Nana Yaw Kyeretwie
The Vetting of President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo’s nominee, Herbert Krapa for consideration and approval by Parliament as Minister of State at the Ministry of Energy saw the absence of minority NDC members on the appointments committee.
The Appointments Committee sat today to consider the public hearing of the minister of state designate, Herbert Krapa.
At the committee sitting, the deputy ranking member who doubles as minority leader, Emmanuel Armah Kofi Buah announced that the minority will not be part of a hasty decision to vet and approve the minister who is already a deputy minister at the same Ministry.
According to them,the majority side of the house is not circumventing due process required in the vetting of the nominee for the position of Minister of State at the Ministry of Energy.
“Our standing parliamentary practice requires that persons nominated for appointment of the president shall be published in the newspaper for national circulation to request for memorandum or a representation from the public,which means the public need to me given reasonable time to submit their memorandum”, he highlighted
“unfortunately as we speak ,this has not happened,this request has totally been breached and the Minority is lost about the rationale for the illicit haste on the back of the majority, particularly since the nominee is already a deputy minister at the ministry”he said
The Ellembelle legislator further lamented that the minority took a strong push back to call off the vetting of the same nominee just a day after the referral by the Speaker to the Appointments Committee to ensure that the appointment was advertised.
“The minority wished to serve the notice that it will not be part of any hasty process deliberately designed by the majority to deny the people of Ghana participation in the work of the Appointment Committee and Ghana’s democracy”, he stated
He added that the caucus will not participate in any vetting of ministerial nominees to add to the already bloated size of this Akufo Addo Bawumia government.