MUMUNI SAILS THROUGH. Sherry, others make it

Lead story, Sat. Feb 20, 2009
Story: Emmanuel Adu-Gyamerah & Daniel Nkrumah
PARLIAMENT yesterday approved the nomination of Alhaji Mohammed Mumuni as Minister of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration after a gruelling debate characterised by wild allegations and intense heckling.
While the Majority made a strong case for Alhaji Mumuni’s approval, the Minority argued vehemently against it and the final vote of 116-74 in favour of the Majority was the expected climax that ushered into office the new Foreign Minister.
The heckling was very intense, with frequent interventions from members on both sides of the House as each side asked the other to withdraw statements made on the floor.
In the ensuing exchanges, the Speaker, Mrs Joyce Bamford-Addo, expressed some mild exasperation when both sides made counter requests for statements made on the floor to be withdrawn.
Responding to requests from both sides for statements deemed to be unparliamentary to be withdrawn, the Speaker lamented: “I am not even allowed to deal with one before another comes up. I think both cancel each other.”
Two reports had been laid before the House. The first covered six ministerial nominees — Mr Stephen Kwao Amoanor, Mr Alexander Asum-Mensah, Mrs Halutie Dubie Alhassan, Dr George Sipa-Adjah Yankey, Mrs Sabah Zita Okaikoi and Mrs Hanny-Sherry Ayittey — while the second covered only Alhaji Mumuni.
Whereas the first report was adopted by the House within 30 minutes, the one covering Alhaji Mumuni was voted on after a debate that lasted about three hours.
The issue in contention bordered on a 2004 audit report commissioned by the Auditor General on the National Vocational Training Institute (NVTI), which the Minority said implicated the nominee.
According to the Minority, when the issue came up during the vetting of the nominee, he had cautioned the committee that since a case related to that report was in court, he considered it subjudice.
The Minority contended that per Standing Order Number 93, “reference shall not be made to any matter in 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”.
The MP for Bekwai, Mr Joe Osei-Owusu, stated that the Appointments Committee’s own procedure for the public hearing of presidential nominees, Number 10, stated categorically that “the major yardstick is the various provisions on disqualification of public officers, e.g. criminal conviction, adverse findings of committees of enquiry, allegations of stated misbehaviour, abuse of office, fraud, misappropriation of public funds etc”.
The MP for Abuakwa South, Mr Samuel Atta Akyea, argued that since the case in question was before a court of competent jurisdiction, approving Alhaji Mumuni’s nomination would be prejudicial.
In the heat of the debate, the Minority Leader, Mr Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, reacted sharply to a statement by the MP for North Tongu, Mr Charles Hodogbey, questioning the justification of the Minority’s concerns, since, in his view, someone who had a cocaine tag on him would have been elected President of the country but for God’s intervention.
The Minority Leader described the statement as an abuse of the privilege of the MP and demanded a withdrawal of that statement.
The Majority Leader, Mr Alban Bagbin, in his intervention, said Mr Hodogbey had gone overboard and urged him to withdraw the statement. Subsequently, the statement was withdrawn by the MP.
Mr Bagbin, in his submission, said it was unfortunate that the committee had to go on with its sitting on the nominee after a number of behind-the-scene deliberations had not yielded any result.
He said the walkout by the Minority had not been helpful, since they could have sat through the proceedings to register their concerns and give the nominee an opportunity to respond to those concerns.
He called on members from both sides of the House to remain focused on the work of the House, stressing, “We should not mar the friendship between us because of one nominee. It is important for us to continue to work together.”
He said in the circumstance, the only option for the House was to use secret ballot to determine the nominee’s fate, since the committee could not reach a consensus.
The MP for Garu/Tempane, Mr Dominic Azumah, said the Majority would have preferred that a consensus had been arrived on the nominee, since he was an excellent gentleman who could perform well.
The MP for Ashaiman, Mr Alfred Agbesi, said Parliament could not invoke the said audit report, since it had not been laid before the house.
The MP for Jomoro, Samia Yaaba Nkrumah, lived up to her word to be independent on issues when he supported the Majority’s position and asked her colleagues in the Minority to consider the calibre of the nominee and duly give him the nod.