Drama at Alhaji Mumuni's vetting. As Minority walks out

Frontpage, Tuesday, Feb 10, 2009
Story: Emmanuel Adu-Gyamerah
THE anticipated drama and tension at the vetting of President John Atta Mills’s nominee for the Foreign Affairs Ministry, Alhaji Muhammad Mumuni, lived to expectation when the Minority members of the Appointments Committee staged the first boycott of the exercise yesterday.
Led by the Minority Leader, Mr Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, they walked out midway through Alhaji Mumuni’s vetting, claiming that he was not qualified to appear before the committee because there was an adverse finding against him in an audit report.
They took the action after the Chairman of the committee and First Deputy Speaker, Mr Edward Doe Adjaho, had ruled that the forensic audit report which implicated Alhaji Mumuni, which was the subject matter of his defamation suit, could not disqualify him from appearing before the committee.
The walkout, however, could not prevent other members on the Majority side to proceed with the vetting of Alhaji Mumuni, who eloquently answered questions put to him about the ministry he was designated to head.
Earlier, the nominee’s attention had been drawn to a petition submitted by a group known as the Alliance for Accountable Governance (AFAG) which made reference to a forensic audit report at the National Vocational Training Institute (NVTI) when he was the Minister of Employment and Social Welfare.
Answering the question, Alhaji Mumuni said since the matter was in court, he was apprehensive of making any reference to it before the committee unless the committee ruled that he should do so.
When Mr Adjaho sought the views of members of the committee, the Minority members who had made submissions raised an objection to the nominee’s vetting due to the pendency of the case before a competent law court.
They quoted the Standing Order 93 (1), which states thus: “Reference shall not be made to any matter on which judicial decision is pending in such a way as may, in the opinion of Mr Speaker, prejudice the interest of parties to the action.”
However, the Majority argued that the forensic audit report in question had not been laid before the House to enable members to make reference to.
They also argued that the nominee was qualified to be a minister, since nothing prevented him from contesting to be a Member of Parliament (MP).
The vetting of the nominee, along with others, which was scheduled for last Saturday, could not take place and was re-scheduled for yesterday.
The Minority members returned to the Speaker’s Conference Room to participate in the vetting of the Minister designate for Environment, Science and Technology, Ms Sherry Ayittey, who answered questions pertaining to how she would handle the sector should she be given the nod by Parliament.
She also answered questions on the divestiture of GIHOC Distilleries which was purchased by Caridem, the business wing of the 31st December Women’s Movement.
The last to appear before the committee, which sat late into the evening, was Mr Mike Hammah, the Minister designate for Transport.