Former Majority leader in Parliament, Osei-Kyei Mensah Bonsu says vetting proceedings of President Mahama’s nominees for Ministerial positions have gone contrary to parliament’s standing orders.
His comment follows the vetting of three minister- designates namely Dr. Cassiel Ato-Forson, John Jinapor, and Dr. Dominic Ayine on January 13, 2025, following their nomination for Ministries of Finance, Energy, and Attorney General and Minister of Justice respectively.
According to Mr. Mensah Bonsu, the required conditions for the process had not been met so far as parliament’s standing orders are concerned.
“Initially, we had a permanent Appointment Committee, just like other committees in Parliament. Now, the Appointment Committee is more fluid, but we have about nine permanent members, with others added. The current Standing Orders, under Order 217, specify who should constitute the Appointment Committee. This is why I say it is fluid,” he said.
Speaking specifically on the vetting process for a finance minister-designate, the legislator explained that a finance committee was supposed to have been constituted, out of which a person is selected to represent it at the vetting committee. However, the finance committee had not been formed prior to the vetting.
“The chairperson, ranking member, and two other members from the relevant subject matter standing or select committees should join the Appointment Committee to consider the person nominated by the president for positions such as Chief Justice, Supreme Court judges, ministers, etc. So, those added to the Appointment Committee, for instance, from the Finance Committee, should include the chairman, the vice chairman, and two more members from the Finance Committee.”
“But as we speak, the Finance Committee has not been formed. So, how did they meet to vet the nominee for the Ministry of Finance? This whole exercise is a breach of the Standing Orders. Similarly, with the Attorney General’s nominee, the required members of the committee were present, but four members from the Constitutional and Legal Affairs Committee were supposed to join the Appointment Committee, yet that committee has not been established. So how did they assemble to vet the nominees? The same applies to the Energy Committee,” he explained.
Moreover, before the vetting is done, an Appointment Committee is supposed to meet and deliberate on the structure of a timetable and also address other concerns about the nominees. But none of these, was done, according to him.
“When a president nominates someone, the Appointment Committee meets, draws a timetable, and the nomination is advertised in the newspapers. Anyone with concerns about the nominee may raise them. Depending on the urgency, the two-week time frame could be shortened to a week, allowing anyone with objections to submit a petition. However, none of these procedures were followed in this case. “Is it the case that John Mahama wants to manipulate Parliament, which is why he’s doing this?”
What’s to come?
President Mahama is expected to make more appointments in the coming days. Recently, he dissolved statutory boards, commissions, councils and corporations, execpt those independently created by the constitution.
Yesterday, he terminated the appointment of the CEO of the Minerals Income and Investment Fund (MIIF) Edward Nana Yaw Koranteng and within a few hours replaced him with Justina Nelson, a banking professional.
In the same week, he has also submitted a list of 10 individuals to the Speaker of Parliament to be approved Regional Ministers.
Mahama has promised a lean government and has promised to deliver on his promise. Many consider his promise to work with 60 ministers compared to about 124 under former president Akuffo-Addo as crucial to cutting down on government expenditure, especially in the face of fiscal challenges.
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