13 MORE MINISTERS APPROVED

Lead story, Wed Feb 18, 2009
Story: Emmanuel Adu-Gyamerah
THIRTEEN more ministerial nominees who have been vetted by the Ap[pointments Committee of Parliament were approved by the House yesterday.
The number brings to 24 those who have so far been approved by Parliament.
They are Ms Hanna Tetteh, Ministry of Trade and Industry; Lt Gen Joseph Henry Smith, Ministry of Defence; Mr Haruna Iddrisu, Ministry of Communications, and Alhaji Muntaka Mubarak, Ministry of Youth and Sports.
The rest, who are all regional ministers are Samuel Ofosu-Ampofo; Mr Kofi Opoku-Manu; Ashanti; Ms Ama Benyiwa-Doe, Central; Mr Kwadwo Nyamekye-Marfo, Brong Ahafo, Mr Mahmud Khalid, Upper West; Mr Nii Armah Ashitey, Greater Accra; Mr Joseph Zephenat Amenowode, Volta, Mr Paul Evans Aidoo, Western, and Mr Stephen Sumani Nayina, Northern.
Except for Ms Tetteh, whose approval attracted a heated debate and was nearly deferred, the House approved the nominations of the others without much comment and debate.
It was only an intervention by the Majority Leader, Mr Alban S.K Bagbin, that enabled both sides to reach consensus on the approval of Ms Tetteh.
Whe she appeared before the Appointments Committee, Ms Tetteh had said she had paid her taxes at both Parliament and GAFCO where she had worked concurrently between January 7, 2001 and January 6, 2005.
She was, however, not sure whether she had to pay hif=gher taxes if the remuneration from both places were consolidated and promised to pay higher taxes or take steps to do so immediately.
The New Patriotic Party (NPP) Member of Parliament (MP) for Tafo, Dr Anthony Akoto Osei, thus called on the House to satisfy itself, as had been suggested by the Appointments Committee, that the nominee had honoured her promise before her nomination could be approved.
That matter, which dragged on for some time resulted in a near clashes vetween the Chairman of the Appointments Committee, Mr Edward Doe Adjaho and the Minority Leader, Mr Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, who is also the Ranking Member of the committee.
Whie Mr Adjaho insisted that his attention had not been drawn to that portion of the committee's report which ordered Ms Tetteh to comply with tax obligations, Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu urged him "not to tread on that path, since it will be an indictment on you as chairman to sign its report and deny certain aspects of it".
Mr Bagbin's intervention endedthe matter when he assured the House the he had been in contact with the nominee and explained that she was still going through the process of honouring her tax obligations.
Winding up the debate, Mr Adjaho informed the House he had received a letter from the Internat Revenue Service confirming that the nominee had settled her tax liabilities.
When it came to the debate on the approval of the regional ministers, the MP for Okere, Mr Dan Botwe, reminded politicians to mindful of the comments and allegations they make on political platforms.
Referring to the admission by the Central Regional Minister designate, Ms Benyiwa-Doe, that the cocaine issue was a national issue but not a party matter, he cautioned politicians against utterances which might cause them later in their lives, in addition to dividing the country.