By Mildred Siabi-Mensah
Sekondi, Jan. 17, GNA – The Western Regional Secretary of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Mr Okatakyie Amankwa Afrifa has called for the amendment of the clause that enjoins the President to appoint 50 per cent of Ministers from the Legislature.
The amendment, he noted, was the antidote to killing desire of individuals who used Parliament as a conduit to only get Ministerial Appointment and halt the brain drain in the Parliament House.
The Western Regional Secretary to the Party in an interview with the Ghana News Agency said the appointment of Ministers from Parliament though constitutional, was not helping in nurturing and raising career Parliamentarians for the course of the legislature, as well as its independence.
Mr Afrifa said, “the constitution has made it so and I think that position should be amended…because the constitution says half of the Executives should come from Parliament, so everyone wants to go to Parliament to become a minister faster without growing from Bench to Bench as practiced in the House.”
Citing the need for the matter under consideration to be critically considered, the NPP Regional Secretary said, “Look at the Western Region Now, and even the House in general, 18 MPs are now retiring including experienced brains like Mr Joe Ghartey, the MP for Essikado who occupied the front seat in the House.
Now that he is leaving, the Region has no front liners in the house which should be a cause for concern to all of us… and is on this premise that I wish all seating MPs within our party are retained in order to move one Bench ahead, and gradually, we will be getting the likes of Joe Badu Ansah, Gifty Eugenia Kusi, among others in making our Region visible with significant impact in national politics”.
“Apart from Mr Joe Ghartey who sits in the front desk, you will struggle to see our MPs…Just as the formula is in Parliament, I would wish that the delegates allow their seating MPs carry on to move up by a bench to get the Western a “Front Appearance.”
The Western Regional Secretary added that the country needed to focus on achieving career MPs, as retention of MPs was the way to go in creating a more independent and robust Legislature.
He said, those desiring political and ministerial appointment, must be those who have dedicated themselves to the course of the party at all levels, if you want to be a minister, come, and let us work and get the reward, not “let us Past Parliament to become minister approach.”
Mr Afrifa, touching on preparation and the future of the Party projecting into election 2024, said, the NPP would definitely set the official record as the first party to break the eight-year term for the Presidency saying, our chances are super bright.
He encouraged the delegates in the January 27 elections to promote peace in campaigning for preferred Aspirants…” We do not expect that anything untoward should happen…you as delegates know whom you want to vote for…every delegate must comport him or herself.”
GNA