Ministerial Vetting Must Not Be Confrontational - Health Minister Designate

Minister Designate for Health, Hon. Kwaku Agyemang-Manu says the Ministerial vetting taking place in Parliament by the Parliamentary Appointment Committee is in right direction to ascertain the calibre of ministers who are going serve the country.

He however points that inasmuch as the Ministerial vetting is important, both the committee members and the nominees should not ensure the vetting does not turn into confrontation.

Speaking on Okay FM’s Ade Akye Abia Morning Show, Hon. Agyemang-Manu averred that when the vetting is reduced to aggression, it takes away the shine of helping the President and the public to know the kind persons appointed to serve in the various Ministries.

The vetting reveals the plans of the nominees to help the President who has appointed them. The vetting also helps to bring out any hidden secrets which the President doesn’t know about the appointees”, he pointed out.

He stressed that “when everything is cleared, you can now carry out your duty without blemish. I think the vetting of ministerial appointees is in the right direction but we hope that the vetting does not result in a serious argument or misunderstanding”.

His comment is borne out of the incident which occurred during the vetting of Hon. Yaw Osafo Maafo as a Senior Minister and Mr. Boakye Agyarko as Energy Minister.

Some members of the Minority on the Parliamentary Appointments Committee have described as unfortunate the behaviour put up by Hon Yaw Osafo Maafo and Mr Boakye Agyarko; eventhough the Chair of the Appointment Committee considers some of the questions asked during the vetting as irrelevant.

Senior minister-designate, Yaw Osafo Marfo, had to apologize to the Member of Parliament for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa after passing an unparliamentarily remark concerning a question he was asked.

In answering a question from the former deputy education minister regarding the Chinese New Techniques Construction Investment Company (CNTCI), the International Finance Corporation loans and the McMillan Text Book printing saga, Yaw Osafo Marfo dismissed the latter as infantile stating that: “I think you were too young at the time to read the matter.”

He latter withdrew the statement and apologized at the behest of the Chairman of the Appointments Committee, Joe Osei Owusu.

Also, Alhassan Suhuyini, the Tamale North lawmaker, had a heated confrontation with the Committee Chairman after he was  ruled out when he asked Mr. Boakye Agyarko to clarify the circumstances surrounding his exit from the Bank of New York, where he worked for many years.

The chairman considered the question offensive to the nominee and a breach of the rules of engagement at the committee.

Watch video of the incident below...