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DEPUTY MINISTER for Trade and Industry-designate, Mahama Ayariga, has been admonished by Parliament to be candid and more forthright in all his dealings in the future as he moves to one of the most important ministries in the country. The former Spokesperson for President John Atta Mills, whose endorsement was put on ice for almost a month by the House, was unanimously approved yesterday after recommendations of the Appointments Committee of Parliament, with a caution to �go and sin no more�. He was said to have exhibited some insincerity in his answers about the acquisition of five tractors from the Ministry of Food and Agriculture when he appeared before the Appointments Committee, compelling Members of Parliament (MPs) to issue a stern caution to him to be truthful in all his endeavours as a public servant. �The Committee has reservations with some of his answers, especially with regard to the make/brand, the cost of the specific make, and the application of the tractors supplied him by the Ministry of Food and Agriculture. The Committee wishes to admonish the nominee to be more candid and forthright in all his dealings in future,� the Appointments Committee, chaired by the First Deputy Speaker and MP for Ave/Avenor, Edward Doe Adjaho, told Ayariga. According to the MP for Bekwai, Joseph Osei-Owusu, Public Service should have people with principle, justice and truthfulness, advising Ayariga not to go into his new job with suspicion around him. Although MP for Manhyia, Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh did not question the deputy minister designate�s decisions, he sounded curious that the nominee has changed his name from Mohammed Abdulai when he was admitted as a student at the University of Ghana, Legon, to Mahama Ayariga. Ayariga, he noted, is going to a sensitive area with the possibility of representing Ghana in international trade negotiations, virtually questioning the credibility of the minister designate. �What is the guarantee that he will not come back and change what has been decided?� However, the Deputy Minister-designate received words of commendation from some of the lawmakers including Minority Leader and MP for Suame, Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu; Samuel Atta Akyea, MP for Akim Abuakwa South; Abukari Sumani, MP for Tamale North; Moses Asaga, MP for Nabdam; and Dr. Anthony Akoto Osei, MP for Old Tafo. They all described Ayariga as a brilliant young man who was a good debater whilst in Parliament between 2005 and 2009 as the MP for Bawku Central, adding that the deputy Trade and Industry Minister would be an asset in his new portfolio. Minority Leader, Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, who is also the Ranking Member for the Appointments Committee, stressed that they were not against Ayariga acquiring tractors but that his approval was delayed because of a petition presented to the Committee on the matter. Ayariga�s approval was delayed because of the circumstances surrounding his purchasing of the five tractors meant for poor farmers, on which the Appointments Committee asked for some clarification from the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ). Although CHRAJ had cleared the former Spokesperson of President Mills, of conflict of interest and abuse of office in acquiring those tractors, following a petition on the matter by a group calling itself Progressive Nationalists Forum, the Committee said it needed to get confirmation from the Commission before taking a final decision on the nominee. According to MP for Akim Abuakwa South, Atta Akyea, who is also a member of the Appointments Committee, CHRAJ is a constitutional body that has come out with the final determination on the petition. Describing Ayariga as brilliant Ghana School of Law and Harvard trained lawyer and a person who used to speak for the President, the Akim Abuakwa South MP said Parliament has no problem with the decision of CHRAJ, stating that anybody who has any problem with the outcome could go to the High Court to challenge the Commission on the matter. Hon. Atta Akyea�s elucidation confirmed the statement of the Appointments Committee which emphasised that the Committee �never, at any material moment, concerned itself with a review of the findings of CHRAJ in the matter relating to the nominee�, as wildly speculated in some media outlets. The Committee explained that copies of CHRAJ�s report were made available and distributed to its Members just before the public hearing of the nominee commenced and hence, no Member was able to read the contents either or during the hearing. It further pointed out that it is mindful of Article 218 and 225 of the 1992 Constitution and also the enabling law, Act 456 of 1993, ensuing from Article 219, which defines the powers of the Commission and will not do anything to undermine the authority and integrity of the Commission.