The Majority leader, Osei Kyei Mensah-Bonsu, has described as hypocritical the minority’s decision to boycott sittings of Parliament’s Appointments Committee.
According to him, the minority members still participate in other meetings of the House and therefore he finds it strange why it has decided to stay out of the Appointments Committee’s sittings.
The Minority members on the Appointments Committee of Parliament on Wednesday, April 05, 2017, boycotted sitting following concerns that they were being overstretched.
A minority member of the committee and Member of Parliament for the North Tongu Constituency, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, who spoke to Citi News’ Duke Mensah-Opoku on the matter, said the majority was rushing the vetting process, and preventing the minority side to work diligently.
“Our leader, the Minority leader [Haruna Iddrisu] expressed concern that what has been agreed at the Business Committee meeting and at the Appointments Committee meeting was that, we take a break and we will return in May to continue with the vetting of the remaining Deputy Minister nominees.”
“What has happened is that, the Majority has sought to take us by surprise. Remember that we had expressed concern about the way we were being treated… We were not being supported to carry out diligent work. CVs will come a night to the day and some of them will come on the day. Everything is being rushed,” Okudzeto Ablakwa said.
But speaking on Eyewitness News, the Majority leader said, “The only thing they are abstaining from is the Appointments Committee business. Other committee meetings they are participating in, and plenary business, they are participating in. Is that not hypocrisy? Who said the rest of them in the Chamber are not tired. Because today in plenary they participated in proceedings… That is the issue that we should ask.”
Osei Kyei Mensah-Bonsu argued that he found it strange the minority wanted siting to end suddenly when it had initially accepted the vetting of all the deputy ministers before Parliament rises.
“When the deputy ministers list came, it was even the minority at the time who were insisting that as for the deputy ministers we can even do 8 each day. What has changed today that they are now saying that they are tired and they cannot do that?” he quizzed.
Meanwhile, the Majority Leader has assured that the House will duly rise on Friday, April 7, 2017 as advertised earlier.
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By: Jonas Nyabor/citifmonline.com/Ghana
Follow @jnyabor