Pass 6 ministerial nominees - Majority appeals to Minority

The Majority Chief Whip, Frank Annoh-Dompreh, has appealed to the Minority Caucus to "temper mercy with justice" to okay all six ministers nominated by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo for their respective positions in the interest of Parliamentary harmony and national cohesion.

He told the Parliamentary Press Corps yesterday that the threat by the Minority side to issue a blanket statement following a directive by the party executive to reject the approval of all six ministerial nominees was unfair and moreover, when they were all members of the House.

Mr Annoh-Dompreh said it was only fair that when anyone in the House was being elevated, Honourable Members should graciously endorse them rather than take an entrenched position.

The Appointments Committee yesterday completed the vetting process of all six nominees awaiting the approval of the House.

But the Minority side said it would not subscribe to a consensus vote at the level of the Appointments Committee as had been the practice but would ensure that the matter was brought before the full House for a vote to be taken in secret.

The action, according to the Minority group, was to insist that government cut down on its size of appointments and merge some of the ministries to demonstrate leadership in these difficult times.

Majority appeal 

But Mr Annoh-Dompreh told the media that it was unfair to deny the country of such national resources in the name of party expediency citing, in particular, the deliveries by the nominees including Mr Bryan Acheampong, who distinguished himself even though he had no agriculture background.

Mr Acheampong was vetted last Monday as Minister of Food and Agriculture to replace Dr Owusu Afriyie Akoto as well as five others.

They were Kobina Tahiru Hammond - Minister for Trade and Industry, Stephen Asamoah Boateng - Minister for Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs, Dr Mohammed Anim Adam - Minister of State at the Finance Ministry, Osei Bonsu Amoah – Minister of State at the Ministry of Local Government, Decentralisation and Rural Development  and  Dr Stephen Amoah - Deputy Minister of Trade and Industry

Apology 

Meanwhile, the Deputy Minority Leader, Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, has asked his colleague on the Majority side, Alexander Afenyo-Markin, to retract and apologise for his disparaging remarks describing the Minority as not having a "thinking capacity".

Mr Buah said the statement was unfortunate but his side would not descend into the "gutters" with them.

"And to say that the Minority did not respect the Constitution was unfortunate since at the drafting of the 1992 Constitution, the Majority side boycotted it at the time," he said.
Mr Buah said the statement by Mr Afenyo- Markin was unparliamentary and he needed to apologise.