Parliament resumed sitting yesterday, amidst a wave of public and media discussions on the nomination of three members of the leadership of the Majority side as ministers and the possible impact of that move on the business of the House.

The Majority Leader, Alban Bagbin, sat in his seat for yesterday’s sitting and although proceedings were generally quiet, after the day’s sitting Mr Bagbin, who has been nominated for a ministerial position, had to contend with probing journalists eager to know whether his departure would not leave the Majority side weakened.

“I am not leaving my side weakened. We have capable men and women ready to take up the mantle,” he stated.

The Majority Leader has been nominated for the position of Minister of Water Resources, Works and Housing, while the Deputy Majority Leader, Mr John Tia, has been nominated for the position of Minister of Information.

The Majority Chief Whip, Mr E. T. Mensah, has also been nominated for the position of Minister of Employment and Social Welfare.

Mr Bagbin stated that he had been part of the process leading to his nomination and added that although he knew that there had been discussions on the issue, he was only informed about his nomination on Monday.

He said President John Evans Atta Mills had decided that now was the time for him to get on board as a minister and he was prepared to respond to that call.

Responding to concerns over whether his new position did not amount to a demotion, since he had always maintained that the Majority Leader was more powerful than a sector minister, Mr Bagbin said in as much as the Majority Leader was more powerful than a sector minister, his nomination was not a matter of promotion or demotion.
“It is a matter of what is appropriate,” he noted.

Asked about the prospects and challenges he envisaged in his new position, the outgoing Majority Leader gave a cautious response, stating that he would have to get there first to know how things were at the ministry.

However, the Minority Leader, Mr Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, said the House would miss the three nominated persons who, he said, played vital roles in the House.

He said their departure would “certainly have repercussions on Parliament as an institution”.

He said Mr Mensah, for instance, had played a vital role liaising between the Executive and the Legislature to ensure that issues relating to the welfare of MPs were dealt with.

He said both the Majority Leader and his deputy were in their 18th year in the House and had acquired tremendous experience.

On the specific case of the nomination of the Majority Leader for a ministerial position, Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu stated that he was not sure whether that amounted to a demotion or a promotion.

“At best it represents a horizontal adjustment and at worst it is a demotion,” he said, and added that it was not for nothing that in some jurisdictions the Majority Leader doubled as the Prime Minister or the Senior Minister.

He stressed that it was time to give more clout to the office of the Majority Leader of Parliament.

Commenting on the selection of a new Majority Leader, the Minority Leader said that was the responsibility of the majority party or parties in Parliament.

He noted that the President, as the leader of the party, would definitely have a say in the selection but the decision was not solely his to make.

The Deputy Majority Leader, Mr Tia, was also of the view that the party had capable men and women in Parliament who could replace those who had been nominated for ministerial positions.

“We are a team; we can play in any position,” he stated, adding that the fact that they had been nominated as ministers did not mean that they were going to abandon their roles as MPs.

He explained that their appointment did not amount to the weakening of Parliament, stressing that “when we talk about the strengthening of Parliament, we are talking about actual separation of powers”.

Commenting on his prospects at the Ministry of Information should he get the nod, Mr Tia said he believed in teamwork, adding that there was already a competent team of deputy ministers, directors and heads of departments at the ministry and they would work together to achieve the government’s vision for the country.

For his part, Mr Mensah stated that they were in the same team and that once the President had decided to call them to serve, they had to oblige and offer themselves for service to Ghanaians.

He said the party had competent MPs in Parliament who would easily fill any void that would be created by their appointment.

As of the time of filing this report, there were speculations supporting media reports that Mr Cletus Avoka was likely to get the nod as the new Majority Leader, although there was no official position on that.

Source: Daily Graphic

Tags: bagbin, minister reshuffle, ndc, parliament