Chairman of the Appointments Committee was the first real obstacle to a diligent vetting – Minority

Bernard Ahiafor, the chairman of the Appointments Committee, has been criticized by the minority in parliament with partisanship and bias when it comes to vetting ministerial candidates.

Dr. Gideon Boako, the Tano North Member of Parliament, claimed during a news conference on Wednesday that the Chairman’s actions prevented a careful and exhaustive vetting procedure.

“Ladies and gentlemen, the Chairman of the Appointments Committee was the first real obstacle to a diligent vetting of the ministerial nominees,” Dr Boako stated.

“He denied the Ghanaian people and the minority members of the committee the opportunity to conduct a thorough vetting of the nominees. He was protective of the nominees and extremely partisan.”

Dr. Boako cited certain instances from the sessions, such as the Chairman allegedly yelling at committee members to quell criticism.

“Members of the committee were shouted at by the Chairman. You all witnessed how the Member for Atiwa East, Abena Osei-Asare, was shouted at in an attempt to protect the nominees. The Chairman denied legitimate members of the committee the opportunity to ask relevant questions and railroaded the nominees through the process,” Dr Boako stated.

By characterizing their protest as a stand for parliamentary scrutiny, the Minority also justified their objection to the Chairman’s actions.

“It must be noted that the altercation between our side of the committee and the Chairman was a direct protest against his conduct. Under the façade of a lack of capacity, he disregarded the fact that those he bullied were Members of Parliament and that the committee is a sub-body of the House,” he added.

In the sake of accountability and democracy, he demanded a more transparent and unbiased procedure to guarantee that nominations be thoroughly examined.

Source: Ghanatodayonline.com