Solomon Owusu, senior communicator for the Movement for Change has asserted that the ministerial vetting exercise and its accompanying committee aren’t purposeful in their duties.
He decried the tantrums and incessant disagreements associated with the process, saying “These activities are not serving its purpose, it is about whom you know“, claiming that the vetting process was riddled with nepotism and favouritism.
He made these remarks in a recent interview following the dramatic twists and turns of the vetting of ministerial nominees by the Appointment Committee of Parliament, composed of majority and minority members of parliament.
The obstructions and ills of the vetting process so far include but are not limited to power plays, arguments and confrontations between the minority and majority caucuses, brawls, scuffles and struggles, and destruction of tables, chairs and other equipment.
Furthermore, boycotts of vetting by members of the appointment committee, “irrelevant’ questioning of nominees, indeterminate vetting time for nominees and abuse of powers and rights by parliamentarians remain challenges parliament deals with.
“If they don’t like you, you go through all sorts of things“, he said, alleging that nominees who spoke and acted well per the standards of the vetting committee and were generally liked by the committee were given the green light.
He lamented that their approval comes with little to no hustle whereas those they didn’t like for any reason at all faced all sorts of unnecessary scrutiny and setbacks. “Is that how you build a country?” he asked.
According to the politician, the country is still facing many of the pre-election challenges that accounted for the overwhelming defeat of the previous government and the people who voted for change and reset are waiting to see it manifested as soon as possible.
Therefore, he stressed that the vetting of ministerial appointees should not be an exercise that stalls and prevents the new government from quickly setting up and getting things under control across all sectors.
He cited the current high prices of diesel and other commodities to further enhance this point.
“People are still struggling and the least we are expecting from them is to fast-track government business so that that level of ease that this administration promised would, as a matter of urgency, be brought to bear”.
Solomon Owusu, senior communicator for the Movement for Change
A Waning Democracy
In furthering his concerns, he drew attention to the waning hope of the people in government and charged those responsible for advancing its business to not delay lest frustrated Ghanaians could take matters into their own hands and strike.
According to him, this is the government’s last chance to restore the lost faith and interest of the masses in the democracy of the land, by reversing all the negative trends that are so easily associated with its ways as they’ve experienced over the years.
Additionally, Solomon Owusu called out the attitudes of “adults in parliament” who he claimed want to be worshiped because of their positions of power as destructive not only to the country but to themselves.
“If they continue to play like this as adults who go to parliament and misbehave, and they want Ghanaians to come and hail and worship them, then they are destroying themselves”.
Solomon Owusu, senior communicator for the Movement for Change
He cited vindictiveness and love for confusion on the part of some members of the minority as contributing to the misdirection of the vetting process, saying “Otherwise why would some members of parliament who hardly ask questions suddenly take an interest in raising their voices and establishing their presence when chaos ensued?”
He referenced the role of Michael Murphy in the chaos that led to the two weeks suspension of the four Members of Parliament as a case in point.
“We cannot encourage some of these. The minority leader himself has told us that on a vetting committee, they play what we call fixed matches. What they do is that depending on how hard you come and beg them, you are allowed to go scot free”.
Solomon Owusu, senior communicator for the Movement for Change party
He tried to rationalise the observed selectiveness of the vetting committee with regards to questioning the nominees, where they asked some excessive numbers of questions and some others barely anything.
This phenomenon, as witnessed and attested to by the minority leader Hon. Afenyo Markins had Owusu wondering what those nominees who were handled with kid gloves by the committee during their vetting, saying “Did they go to beg with money, schnapps, beer? Because that’s what you go and beg our chiefs within our culture”.
Solomon Owusu poured out his frustrations and displeasures, expressing deep concerns that the recent ministerial vetting scuffle, in addition to misconduct by some legislators, could have devastating effects on the country’s growing democracy and the country at large.
