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Parliament blocks nomination, defers
two others
Accra, July 30, Ghanadot/GNA - Parliament on Monday declined
the approval of three nominees of President John Agyekum
Kufuor for Deputy Ministerial appointment citing reasons
ranging from financial impropriety, integrity, inconsistency
and loyalty to the nation.
The House after a heated exchange between Mr. Alban Bagbin,
Minority Leader and Mr. Kwadwo Mpianim, Chief of Staff
decided that it would defer the nomination of Mr Ken-Wuud
Nuworsu and Ms. Victoria Bright who had been nominated for
Deputy Minister of Manpower, Youth and Employment and Deputy
Minister at the Office of the President respectively.
The was after Mr. Freddie Blay, Chairman of the Appointments
Committee had presented the report of the Committee to the
House indicating that they had disapproved the nomination of
Reverend Dr. Akwasi Owusi Bi, Deputy Minister Designate for
Trade, Industry, Private Sector Development and PSI. The
House however, approved 11 other nominees presented by the
President.
Mr. Blay called the House’s attention to the fact that Mr.
Nuworsu was the only one whose nomination was approved by a
majority vote. However, when the House was called to adopt
the report, Mr Bagbin said he should not be given the nod
until the Committee had been supplied with enough
information on the nominee.
“We must wait till we have been fully furnished with
information from the Serious Fraud Office, which should be
given the opportunity to testify and their report on
allegations against Mr. Nuworsu made available to the
Committee. The same should be for CHRAJ and the
Auditor-General’s Report that made serious negative report
on the nominee.”
Mr. Bagbin said the Committee would not fight personal
battles for any husband, but noted that the report before
the committee showed that the nominee, when given the nod to
serve the nation was found wanting in many respects.
“We should not be seen rewarding such disfunctionality and
Parliament should be giving the signal that when individuals
are given the opportunity, they must serve with a high
degree of responsibility.”
“We therefore should not give approval for Mr Nuworsu. We
must go back to the Appointments Committee and go further
into the report and confront him on the findings,” he said,
arguing: “There are precedents in this House where the
Chairmen of Political parties were called in to testify.”
Mr. Mpianim, who tried to talk on behalf of Mr Nuworsu, was
halted on the point of locus standi.
Ms. Alima Mahama, Minister of Women and Children Affairs
also tried in vain to argue that Mr Nuworsu had been
approved by consensus, but other members said it was clear
that the nominee only got a majority vote.
“As for Victoria Bright she is already in the President’s
Office, But she would not have the tag of a Minister,” the
Minority Leader said, pressing home that it was important
for her nationality to be properly clarified.
He said he was of the opinion that, “there must be a further
check up on Ms. Bright, noting that it was not enough for
one to have denounced his or her citizenship just by filing
a renunciation document.”
Mr Bagbin said it was also found out that Ms. Bright filed
her renunciation of British citizenship on July 16 and not
17th as she told the committee.
“I think there is a whole procedure to follow before you
renounce citizenship. The Committee did not have the
opportunity to access the nominee and when the Committee
sought to know if she was even a registered voter, her
initial reaction was a show of arrogance that sent the
members very peeved.
“It is proper we re-examine the nominee,” he added.
On Reverend Owusu-Bi, the Committee by a majority vote
disapproved his nomination citing untruths and
inconsistencies in his submissions.
Mr. Bagbin, in seconding the motion said he had problems
with the nominee since, “it is important for us to know the
kind of pastor we are dealing with.”
GNA
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