Lawyer and Senior Vice President of IMANI Africa, Kofi Bentil, has justified the unlimited questioning time granted to the Minority Leader during ministerial vetting.
In an interview on a JoyNews’ Newsfile on Saturday, February 8 he argued that the process is largely driven by the Minority in Parliament.
He stressed that vetting is an inquisitorial exercise, designed to uncover potential issues with a nominee rather than highlight their achievements.
“The unlimited time given to the Minority Leader is justifiable because it is really the minority that does the vetting true, alright? So to that extent, I think it’s justified.
“…We are not looking for what is great about the person—the angel you don’t know. We are trying to identify potential problems that can arise,” he noted.
This follows Minority Leader, Alexander Afenyo-Markin being criticised for asking a lot of questions during the vetting of President John Mahama’s appointees.
While Mr Afenyo-Markin believes the Minority Leader’s extended questioning is fair, Mr Bentil cautioned against abuse of time, describing a three-hour stretch as excessive.
He further explained that certain probing questions, even about affiliations with secret societies, are necessary because some individuals are more influenced by religious or ideological guidance than by proper policy decisions.
Mr Bentil reiterated the call for parliamentary subcommittees to take the lead in vetting ministerial nominees, given their expertise in specific areas.
He argued that subcommittees, regardless of whether they are chaired by the opposition, have a deeper understanding of sectoral issues and should be more involved in the process.
“We’ve said, and I repeat, it’s best that the parliamentary subcommittees, which have invested time in these issues, vet the nominees,” he stressed.
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