The Deputy Minority Leader in Parliament has attributed the controversies surrounding the ongoing ministerial vetting process to the disregard of long-standing practices that have guided the Appointments Committee’s work over the years.
Patricia Appiagyei expressed concern that the committee’s new leadership has failed to adhere to established norms, leading to misunderstandings and delays.
“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 leaders on the committee are entirely new,” she said in an interview on PM Express on Joy News on Wednesday.
“The Chair of the committee has never been on the committee, and the Ranking Member has also never served on it. These are issues we need to iron out.”
Madam Appiagyei noted that previous Appointments Committees followed well-established practices, but these have been disregarded, creating confusion in the vetting process.
“There are rules, or rather, established practices we follow. The Appointments Committee over the years had certain procedures, which are not being followed now.
“Because we are masters of our own rules, we can decide to vary them, but the variations now are causing problems,” she explained.
A key deviation she highlighted was the failure to adhere to the standard period for advertising ministerial nominations.
“A number of things have been hurried, and one typical issue is the fact that previously, we were required to advertise the nomination of every appointee for a period of not less than two weeks,” she revealed.
“At a point in time, I remember the last government even had to advertise for just about a week, in some cases three days. But as it stands now, due to urgent circumstances, we have varied most of these rules. That’s why we see the controversies and misunderstandings breaking out at the meetings.”
Madam Appiagyei stressed that the urgency with which the government seeks to form its cabinet has further complicated the situation.
“The government expressed its intent 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.
Clarifying her stance on the Chairman of the Appointments Committee, the Deputy Minority Leader stated that she was not questioning his competence but rather his exposure to the specific workings of the committee.
“I am not saying the Chair is not experienced; I am referring to exposure. People serve on various committees, and the practices vary from one committee to another,” she explained.
ALSO READ: