Dr. Benjamin Otchere-Ankrah, a Governance Analyst and Lecturer at the University of Ghana, has strongly condemned the recent conduct of Parliamentarians, which resulted in chaos during the Appointments Committee vetting of ministerial appointees. The incident occurred on January 30, when the minority and majority caucuses clashed over the vetting of Ministers for Foreign Affairs and Health, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa and Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, respectively.
The minority caucus had insisted that the vetting should be postponed, while the majority caucus wanted to proceed with the vetting on the same day. The disagreement led to a violent clash, with members of the Committee destroying their tables and microphones in protest.
Dr. Otchere-Ankrah expressed his disappointment with the 9th Parliament, stating that there were high hopes that they would not repeat the misbehavior of the 8th Parliament. He criticized the Appointments Committee for letting some appointees off the hook and urged the legislators to act in accordance with their standing orders.
Furthermore, Dr. Otchere-Ankrah lambasted the Speaker, Alban Sumana Bagbin, for his handling of the House, particularly regarding the suspension of four MPs who were later reinstated after their leaders pleaded on their behalf. The Speaker’s action was deemed to be in breach of the standing orders of the House.
Dr. Otchere-Ankrah emphasized that Parliament should not disappoint the people, as there are high expectations for them to work effectively. He stressed that it’s too early for such incidents to be happening and urged the MPs to take their responsibilities seriously ¹.
Source: Richard Nana Appiah Kubi/Ahotoronline.com
