While speaking on JoyNews’ Newsfile, the former Ranking Member on the Constitutional, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Committee of Parliament told Samson Lardy Anyenini that he personally hopes those nominees who have not proven to be fit for the positions they are being appointed to will be rejected but he doesn’t see it happening.
“I have a hope that some of the nominees who do not show they are fit for the job will be rejected by the panel members because that is their job.
“I have my doubts they will be rejected. Not a single person because all I hear are people talking about the fact that somebody has not been able to speak good English or somebody does not understand the portfolio he has been given.
“But you must not take it away from the President that he had a minimum assessment of the capacity of his nominees to deliver on his policies and that is why he nominated them in the first place,” he added.
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The Appointments Committee is currently vetting ministerial nominees forwarded to the legislature by President Akufo-Addo to assist in the second term of his administration. While some of them have been impressive at the vetting, others have shown a complete lack of understanding of the sectors they are seeking to preside over.
About 18 nominees have already been vetted since the committee started sitting.
A section of the public has expressed dissatisfaction at the performances of the Minister-designate for Communications, Ursula Owusu-Ekuful, Minister-designate for Energy, Matthew Opoku Prempeh, Minister-designate for Gender Adwoa Safo, and Minister-designate for Fisheries, Hawa Koomson.
Meanwhile, the Ghana Tuna Association has petitioned Parliament to reject the nomination of Mrs. Hawa Koomson.
Inusah Fuseini who was also the former Minister for Lands and Natural Resources under the erstwhile John Mahama administration said the final decision to disqualify any nominee is the prerogative of the President who nominated them.
“The members of the Committee have a responsibility to ensure that all persons appearing before them satisfy the minimum qualification criteria in the constitution.
“So, credit the President with some modicum of intelligence in putting people in places to be able to push through his programs and policies.
“Now Parliament then has the responsibility to ensure that they throw light on what they believe is the inadequacies of the nominee. Then it is up to the President to withdraw or if he fails to meet the legal requirements in the constitution then Parliament will vote to reject on the basis that he failed to meet the requirements stated.”