Chairperson of Parliament’s Appointments Committee and MP for Akatsi South, Bernard Ahiafor, has expressed concern over what he describes as frustration of the Minority in Parliament.
He attributed this frustration to external pressures that influenced their decisions during the chaos that erupted during the Committee’s vetting of ministerial nominees on Thursday.
Testifying on Wednesday, February 5 before the committee probing the disturbing encounter, Mr. Ahiafor said, “I have been in the Minority, and I came to Parliament in the Majority. I have been involved in committee proceedings, and I must say that sometimes I see frustration on the part of the Minority because there is external pressure on them. This has led to them taking actions that ordinarily should not happen.”
Mr. Ahiafor cited an incident involving Lands Minister-designate Emmanuel Armah Buah, who was scheduled for vetting on Monday but received a call from Minority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin on Saturday evening, informing him that certain individuals were displeased with the language used by Mr. Buah during former President Nana Akufo-Addo’s final State of the Nation Address.
These individuals felt the former President had been denigrated and, as a result, pressured the Minority not to proceed with Mr. Buah’s vetting.
Mr. Ahiafor recounted his response, saying, “I told them this would be a real difficulty. I would find it hard to accede to the request, particularly because Mr. Buah had already been formally invited to appear before the committee on Monday.”
He further stated that after confirming with the committee Clerk that Mr. Buah had indeed received a letter to appear, he relayed to the Minority Leader that postponing the vetting would be nearly impossible.
He added that the situation led to tensions, with pressure mounting for the Clerk to remove Mr. Ahiafor as Chair for vetting Mr. Buah.
“There was an issue suggesting that the Clerk should exclude me as chairman from the process of vetting Emmanuel Buah on Monday and take responsibility for postponing his appearance. This was difficult for the Clerk to execute, and I believe the Minority Leader was not pleased with this.”
Additionally, Mr. Ahiafor revealed that there was pressure to delay the vetting of Sam George, insisting that he should be the last to be vetted.
“A lot has happened, and I believe these pressures influence the way the Minority handles certain issues.”
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