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General news for Wednesday, March 3, 2021
Source: GNA
2021-03-03
Joseph Osei Owusu, Chairman, Appointments Committee
Joseph Osei-Owusu, Chairman of the Appointments Committee of Parliament has refuted claims by minority members of the Committee that the committee has rejected three candidates of the president for ministerial functions.
According to him, the Appointments Committee has no power to reject anyone, saying that their thing is to make a recommendation to the House to accept or reject approval.
“There is nothing that is happening here that is definitive. If we understand that, I think it will influence our decision. “
Mr. Osei-Owusu refuted the allegations before the Appointments Committee hearing on some Regional Designated Ministers, in Parliament, in Accra.
The hearing was to examine the candidates of President Akufo-Addo as ministers of some political-administrative regions.
In addition, there were claims in the media that 13 minority members on the Appointments Committee of Parliament had voted against the approval of three of the president’s ministerial candidates.
The report also suggested that members of the minority had caused the postponement of a decision on five of the nominees as well.
According to Mr. Osei-Owusu, when the committee met on Monday, March 1, 2021, none of the issues published in the media were discussed; and so he was surprised to learn of the minority’s claim to reject three of the president’s ministerial candidates.
He urged minority members of the Appointments Committee to stay away from making public pronouncements that undermine the integrity of the committee.
He regretted the attitude of those members who pretend to speak on behalf of the committee, but that the committee had not asked them to do so, saying that they should not take the minority position as a decision of the committee, which has not made such a decision.
“If you go out to say something, a person said something, but the video clearly shows that they did not say the things that you claimed they did. And you intend to speak on behalf of the committee, which has not requested.
Mr. Haruna Iddrisu, minority leader and senior member of the Appointments Committee, in a statement before the start of the committee hearing indicated that the Appointments Committee had collectively made some decisions.
He said the chair was expected to send members some clarification on concerns raised by the minority about such candidates as Ms. Mavis Hawa Koomson, Dr. Owusu Afriyie Akoto, Mr. Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, among others.
He said the minority, relative to the nominees, were demanding better and more details about the role they played in public life.
He said the committee was guided by Article 94 of the 1992 Constitution in its decision to accept the nominees subject to satisfactory responses from them.
