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General Secretary of the largest opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), Johnson Asiedu Nketia says the Majority Caucus in Parliament is struggling to come up with an excuse to stop his appointment to serve on the Parliamentary Service Board due to the fear he poses to the ruling NPP government.

According to the NDC Chief Scribe, he has reasons to believe that the same way the NPP in Parliament is kicking against his appointment to serve on the Parliamentary Service Board, his successor after his death will not be accepted by the NPP due to the fear he commands in the ruling NPP government.

Speaking on Okay FM’s 'Ade Akye Abia' Morning Show, General Mosquito as he is popularly called noted that the Majority Caucus in Parliament is simply afraid of him and not because of his position as a General Secretary of the NDC.

He indicated that aside him, the Majority Caucus in Parliament led by Hon Kyei Mensah-Bonsu will have no issue with any other nominee of the Speaker of Parliament coming from the NDC.

He explained that the law which was passed in 1996 allows the Speaker of Parliament to appoint two former Members of Parliament to serve on the Parliamentary Service Board but due to the dynamics of the 8th Parliament where the Speaker of Parliament is from the opposition and the House is divided into two, the Speaker of Parliament, Rt Hon. Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin decided to be just by giving one of the appointing rights to the Majority Caucus, while he appoints the other.

He stressed that the Majority Caucus took that right of the Speaker of Parliament to appoint one of their own to serve on the Board but are refusing to accept the nominee of the Speaker of Parliament with the excuse that the appointment of Asiedu Nketia will politicize the Board.

“The Speaker Alban Bagbin being a just leader decided to appoint one former MP which is me [Asiedu Nketia] and allow the Majority leader to appoint the other. They have appointed their own former MP but they are refusing to agree with the appointment of Bagbin; meanwhile, he should have appointed two former MPs as the law stipulates, but he gave the Majority the right to appoint one of the persons but they are not in support of the fact that Asiedu Nketia has been appointed. They actually prefer another person other than Asiedu Nketia,” he narrated.

He, however, described the argument of the Majority Caucus as hollow for saying that he being a politician will introduce politics on the Board when he is appointed to serve; but, to him, Parliament exists for the sole purpose of politics.

“Whether the Majority likes it or not, Bagbin has made it clear to Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu that his position as a Majority Leader does not override the authority of the Speaker of Parliament and so the argument of the Majority over my appointment will amount to nothing,” he indicated.

He, therefore, mentioned that the Parliamentary Service Board exist to ensure the success of the administrative work of Parliament; explaining that while Parliament is supposed to enact laws, “the House must employ workers and determine the kind of salaries to give to the employees and also undertake projects and procurements and these works must be done by the Parliamentary Service Board”.   

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