How minority nearly torpedoed Joseph Cudjoe’s vetting

After the a two-hour vetting of his colleague designated for the Sanitation and Water Resources  Ministry, Mr Joseph Cudjoe, Minister-designate for Public Enterprise also thought he could easily sail through, but that didn’t happen.

Mr Cudjoe had a rough start, as Mr Haruna Iddrisu, Ranking Member of the Committee, demanded that the vetting be put on hold while they sought clarification into his portfolio.

Mr Iddrisu called on the Chairman to put the vetting on hold and request the Office of the President to provide more clarity and guidance.

This request was earlier shot down by the Chairman of the Committee, and an attempt was made to proceed, but a position from Mr Iddrisu indicating that his side of the committee was not going to take part in the vetting forced the Chairman to change his verdict.

The House consequently asked the Minister-designate to excuse them to make time for them to deliberate on the issue.

Explaining why he insisted on not proceeding with the vetting of the nominee, the Tamale South Member of Parliament (MP) indicated that a letter, dated 21 January 2021, which was signed by the President lists Mr Joseph Cudjoe as the Minister Responsible for Public Enterprises, but an Executive Instrument (E.I) 12 and a Civil Service Instrument 2021 which contains the lists of Ministries under the Civil Service exempted that of the Public Enterprises.

Mr Iddrisu indicated that Public Enterprises is not a ministry that exist, hence, Mr Cudjoe could not be vetted for it. Additionally, the President also didn’t create one through an Executive Instrument he pointed out, and questioned which Ministry and portfolio the nominee is being vetted for.

“Conspicuously lost in the E.I is the Ministry for Public Enterprises. So if we do proceed to vet the Honourable Cudjoe, are we vetting him as Minister for State, Minister heading a secretariat because there is no Ministry for Public Enterprises under E.I. 12.

“I am demanding clarity on exactly what the house is vetting the nominee for. Are we considering the nominee for a non-existing ministry which is not a creation by law or statute or the house is just considering him?”

He said he had no power in questioning the mandate of the President under Article 78, which gives him the authority to appoint ministers, but he must do so in accordance with the law.

The Chairman also said that the President wrote to Parliament the list of persons he has nominated to hold ministerial positions, and it is the responsibility of the House to consider the nominations and report on it. He said what the committee will do is draw the attention of the House to the issue, but not to withhold the vetting.

Mr Markin’s argument was that he wasn’t oblivious of the fact that the E.I., as published, did not include the portfolio of the nominee, but the President can appoint a Minister of State at the Presidency, and that will not require an E.I., so the nominee’s appointment should construe Mr Cudjoe’s nomination not as one for the purpose of running a ministry.

He was of the view that a further clarification is well grounded, “but that does not mean we shouldn’t vet him. I have no objection; we can proceed while we seek to get that clarification.”

He also said that it’s not the first time the issues on clarity had come up at the committee, but that didn’t put on hold whoever was being vetted.

But Mr Iddrisu still insisted that the House could not proceed to vet the nominee, because the members would not be able to ask questions in line with his portfolio since that is not known yet, and his plea was heeded to.

 

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