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Minister of Water Resources, Works and Housing Minister-designate and outgoing Majority Leader, Albans S. K. Bagbin, yesterday had an easy ride before the Appointments Committee of Parliament for vetting, finding ample space to sing a frog song for members of the committee. Bagbin, who was questioned by chairman of the committee and First Deputy Speaker, Edward Doe Adjaho if he could recite the national pledge, turned into a story teller, giving a fairy-tale of a mythical friendly and marital relationship between lizards and frogs to indicate a tit-for-tat scenario in the chairman�s question. Presenting the story, Bagbin narrated that lizards lost a relative and they decided to perform the funeral rites on top of trees, where frogs could not climb to participate, leaving them to grieve on the ground. According to him, a few days later, frogs also lost a relative and they decided to hold the funeral rites in water, in mockery of the lizards and to pay them back in their own coin. As the Minority Leader in Parliament and Member of the Appointments Committee during the Kufuor Administration, Bagbin asked a ministerial nominee, Prof. Dominic Fobih, to recite the national pledge before the committee. To him therefore, asking if he could recite the same pledge constituted a pay-back. Although Bagbin did not explicitly solicit forgiveness, he referred to the Bible during the time of Prophet Moses where an eye-for-an-eye and a tooth-for-a-tooth edict was in force; but when Jesus came, he brought the grace where people would forgive one another for any wrongdoing. Bagbin�s vetting was the quickest yesterday, as all members of the Appointments Committee were full of praise for their outgoing leader, who they believed had been an exemplary leader in strengthening the institution of Parliament and they were hopeful he would deliver at his new portfolio. Acknowledging the invaluable contribution of Bagbin in strengthening the legislature, Minority Leader, Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu noted that �his leaving as Majority Leader is going to be a big blow to the Institution of Parliament but I wish him good luck in his new portfolio�. On what he will do to solve the acute water problem in the country, if given the nod, the Water Resources, Works and Housing Minister Designate said as one time chairman of the Advisory Board on Water Sector Reforms, he was conversant with the challenges facing the country and that he will make a strong case for more investment in the water sector to bridge the huge demand and supply gap. Governments, he pointed out, have to make the needed investment to make water accessible to all including the urban poor, adding that �we need, as a country, to prioritize and try to implement what we have been saying that water is life�. Equally receiving commendation for their leadership qualities in working to entrench parliamentary democracy and interest of the legislature were John Tia Akologu and E. T. Mensah, outgoing Deputy Majority Leader and Majority Chief Whip respectively. John Tia, a trained journalist who is taking the hot seat as the Minister for Information, was praised for his good human relation and was urged to keep same in his new portfolio. The Information Minister-designate said he would advocate for the empowering of the National Media Commission (NMC) for it to live up to its mandate to regulate the journalism practice in the country. On his part, Minister for Employment and Social Welfare-designate, E.T. Mensah said there was the need to build strong institutions in order to create jobs for the teeming unemployed youth. According to him, he is bringing a wealth of experience to help President Mills to deliver on his better Ghana agenda by creating the enabling environment for job creation and industrial harmony. Among those vetted was the Minister for the Interior designate, Martin Amidu who is coming at a time that there are serious concerns about sporadic ethnic conflicts and apparent selective prosecution of alleged criminals. However, the former deputy Attorney General and Minister for Justice gave the assurance that all criminal cases would be treated devoid of political consideration, adding, �Crime should not have any political coloration�. �I will not sacrifice my integrity for anything. My view is that at the end of the day, the public should judge me as being fair,� the Interior Minister-designate noted, urging all feuding factions in conflict areas to be part of the solution to ensure peace and security in the country.