MPs laud President Mills for quality nominations

Page 17, Wed Jan 28, 2009
Story: Emmanuel Adu-Gyamerah

SOME Members of Parliament (MPs) have lauded President John Evans Atta Mills for what they termed the “quality of his nominations” for ministerial positions.
They also contended that the inclusion of six women in the first batch of nominees was an indication of how the President was poised to fulfil his campaign promises.
The Speaker of the House, Mrs Joyce Bamford Addo, was expected to read the communication from the President on the nomination of the 16 people when the House resumes from its two-week break yesterday.
The nominations would then be referred to the Appointments Committee for consideration and report after which it would publish the nominations of the 15 people in the media and invite memoranda from the general public.
The House is expected to also break after sitting for four days to enable the MPs to be taken through a one-week orientation course at the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA).
Speaking in an interview with the Daily Graphic, the MP for Ketu North, Mr James Klutse Avedzi, said “all the nominees are solid and they can assist the President to implement the party’s manifesto”.
He said Ghanaians were eager to see the next batch of ministerial nominations by the President, adding that “so far, we are satisfied”.
The NDC MP for Odododiodioo, Mr Jonathan Tackie-Commie, said that women in the country were grateful to the President for not paying a lip-service to their empowerment.
He said the nomination of the first female Speaker of Parliament, coupled with the President’s determination to give 40 per cent of his ministerial appointments to women, were commendable.
“It is good that women are now being given a high-profile ministerial appointment.”
In another development, a former Minister of State at the Ministry of the Interior, Nana Obiri Boahene, has stated that all the 15 nominees by the President were people who had been faithful to the National Democratic Congress (NDC), even in the party’s difficult times.
“It is good that the President has now recognised that the party is in power.”
Nana Boahene said nomination of these dedicated corps of the NDC should be a lesson to other political parties in order to keep their members intact, even in times of difficulties.