The Minority Walkout during the Review and Approval of the New Ministers has surprised President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.
He called the Minority’s conduct “pitiful.”
It was unfortunate that the Minority, who had taken part in every previous procedure, felt compelled to leave parliament during the formal approval phase at the last minute. During the swearing-in of the new ministers at the Jubilee House on Monday, May 20, President Akufo-Addo declared, “We thank God that the walkout was not fatal to the vote of approval.”
On Friday, May 17, the Minority in Parliament staged a boycott of President Akufo-Addo’s new ministers’ approval.
In his speech, opposition leader Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson questioned how the ministry nominees’ confirmation was deemed an urgent matter.
“May I inquire, given that this Akufo-Addo/Bawumia government already has many ministers and deputy ministers, how is the approval of the President’s nominees for ministerial positions an urgent matter?” He enquired.
“Ghanaians are suffering,” a few opposition MPs remarked as they left the room.
The ministerial nominees are Health Hon. Dr Bernard Okoe Boye; Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation, Ophelia Mensah Hayford; Information Ms Fatimatu Abubakar, Gender; Children and Social Protection Dakoa Newman; Local Government, Decentralisation and Rural Development Martin Adjei-Mensah Korsah; Sanitation and Water Resources Hon. Lydia Seyram Alhassan; Tourism, Arts and Culture Hon. Andrew Egyapa Mercer, MP, Greater Accra Region Hon. Titus Glover, Oti Region Mr Daniel Machator.
The deputy ministerial nominees are for Information Sylvester Tetteh, MP; Local Government, Decentralisation and Rural Development, Vincent Ekow Assafuah;
Communications and Digitalisation Hon. Charles Acheampong; Health Adelaide Ntim, MP Alexander Akwasi Acquah; Works and Housing Hon. Dr. Prince Hamidu Armah;
Lands and Natural Resources, Akwasi Konadu; Fisheries and Aquaculture Development Hon. Musah Abdul Aziz Ayaba; Energy John Kobina Sanie, Collins Adomako Mensah;
Education Kingsley Nyarko; Employment and Labour Relations Hon. Festus Awuah Kwofie;
Gender, Children and Social Protection Hon. Benjamin Sekyere Yeboah.”
Meanwhile, Parliament on that same day approved a loan facility of $150 million from the World Bank.
The loan facility is to fund the ongoing Greater Accra Resilient and Integrated Development (GARID) project.
The Loan was approved despite concerns raised by the Minority in the House.
TV3’s Komla Klutse who was in parliament reported that “After a heated debate and a head count following a disputed voice vote, the speaker declared the majority MPs having won the vote on the $150 million loan. 137 NPP MPs voted in favour of the loan as against 132 NDC MPs.”
Before the approval, Minority Leader Dr Cassiel Ato Forson had said on the floor of the House “How is the approval of US$150 million loan an urgent issue, when US$200 million for phase one approved by this House has been misapplied and not accounted for?
“How is it an urgent matter for Parliament to be summoned from recess to approve a-US$150 million loan agreement at a time that this government is granting a questionable US$450 million tax waiver?
“Therefore, we want to make the point clear that there is no urgent matter before the House to warrant this recall.”
SOURCE: 3news
