Deputy Minority Leader in Parliament, Patricia Appiagyei, has attributed the apparent disarray in the Appointments Committee to the lack of exposure of its leadership, particularly the Chairman.
She pointed out that both the Chair and the Ranking Member are new to the committee, leading to inefficiencies and misunderstandings during the vetting process of the President’s ministerial nominees.
“Currently, we are undertaking the vetting of the President’s nominees for the various sectors, and we’ve had a number of issues—not because of partisanship, but because both of the leadership on the committee now are totally new,” she stated in an interview on PM Express on Joy News on Wednesday, January 29.
Appiagyei emphasized that while experience in Parliament is important, exposure to the workings of a specific committee is crucial to ensuring smooth operations.
“The Chair of the committee has never been on the Appointment Committee, and the Ranking Member has never been on the committee. These are some of the issues that need to be addressed,” she explained.
According to her, the Appointment Committee has historically followed established practices that have aided the vetting process, but the new leadership has failed to adhere to these norms.
“There are rules, or I should say, practices, that we follow. The Appointment Committee has had certain practices over the years, which are not being followed now. We have the authority to vary them, but these variations are causing problems,” she added.
Madam Appiagyei also attributed the current controversies surrounding the vetting process to the government’s push to expedite the formation of its cabinet.
“The government made an express indication that it wanted to set up the cabinet within about two weeks, which was almost impossible. But as much as possible, we should try to assist so that government business can take off,” she said.
She revealed that one significant deviation from previous practices has been the hurried nature of the process, including the failure to adequately advertise nominees for public scrutiny.
“Previously, we were meant to advertise the nomination of everyone appointed for no less than two weeks. At one point, I remember the last government even had to advertise for just about a week, or sometimes three days. But now, due to the exigencies of time, we have varied most of these practices. That’s why we’re seeing the controversies and misunderstandings in the meetings,” she stated.
Clarifying her stance on the Chairman, Madam Appiagyei insisted that she was not questioning his competence, but rather highlighting his limited exposure to the committee’s past practices.
“I am not saying the Chair is not experienced, I am saying exposure is key. People serve on various committees, and the practices vary from one committee to another,” she explained.
In response to allegations that Majority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin has been bullying the Chairman of the committee, Appiagyei strongly rejected the characterization.
“I object to that word—bullying. No. It’s just about trying to reach some level of consensus with the Chair. The Chair has his own ways and feels that things must be done differently, and that’s why it comes out like that. But I wouldn’t describe it as bullying,” she defended.
Despite the ongoing tensions within the committee, Madam Appiagyei remains hopeful that these challenges can be resolved through better cooperation and adherence to established practices.
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