Why Mills �Invaded� Parliament

Few hours after the first Ministerial reshuffle by the Mills-led administration, credible information picked at the corridors of the Majority in Parliament indicate that the President�s decision to pick three gurus from the House was due to the fact that the leadership of the Majority in the House is not living up to its task despite its capabilities. According to the source, the Majority in Parliament then made a complaint to the President that their leadership is giving the Minority a field day, hence the drastic and shocking changes in the Majority leadership. Apart from Hon. Bagbin, who is also the Member of Parliament for Nadowli West, the Deputy Majority Leader, Hon. John Tia and the Majority Chief Whip, Hon. E.T. Mensah have been appointed as Ministers for Information and Minister for Social Welfare and Employment respectively. Thus the Majority Leader and the Deputy Majority Leader positions have been left vacant to be filled by the out-going Minister for Interior, Hon. Cletus Avoka and the outgoing Minister for Sports, Rashid Pelpuo according to sources close to Parliament. However, the nomination for the position of the Majority Chief Whip is still not clear. But the Majority Leader Hon. Alban Bagbin, who has been appointed as the Minister for Water Resources, Works and Housing, has disclosed that though the position of a Majority Leader happens to be very powerful as compared to a ministerial position, it is not his choice to remain in that position forever. According to him, it is the decision of the President to choose who he wants to work with and �once you are appointed you have no choice than to live up to expectation.� Speaking to GO about the ministerial reshuffle, the NPP Member of Parliament for Atwima-Mponua, Hon. Isaac Kwame Asiamah, noted that the National Democratic Congress (NDC) government should expect stiffer opposition from the Minority in Parliament, adding that it is now clear that President John Evans Atta Mills does not have any vision for the country, which is why he is unable to perform. �There is still slow progress and we don�t expect anything miraculous from this government despite the changes,� he stated. He however noted that whether the President�s cabinet is team A or team B, the issue is about delivery and also how best they can help Ghanaian, but he has little hope in this change of ministers, reiterating that the President lacks vision, therefore there is little the ministers can do to enhance the living conditions of Ghanaians. When asked whether the appointment of three (3) key members of the Majority leadership in Parliament is going to weaken Parliament as an institution, the MP for Atwima-Mponua, was of the view that the NPP wants nothing but the best for Ghanaians, adding; appointing of Ministers is the prerogative of the President but the Minority will continue to provide responsible opposition and ensure that Ghanaians have the best of governance. Hon. Asiamah, who is also the Ranking Member for Committee on Youth, Sports and Culture, was very critical of the President for changing the Minister for Sports, Hon. Rashid Pelpuo, stressing that there seems to be stability at the Sports Ministry now, therefore changing the Minister will rather halt operations. In addition, Hon. Asiamah pointed out that the President should be blamed if the Black Stars fail to win the on-going African Cup of Nations tournament in Angola. According to him, the news will go a long way to demoralize the Sports Minister and the players. Meanwhile, the Appointments Committee is yet to announce a date to vet the newly appointed ministers.