Minority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin has criticized President John Mahama for the slow pace of his ministerial appointments, referring to the process as a “tot tot” appointment.
Speaking on the floor of Parliament, Afenyo-Markin expressed frustration after President Mahama nominated his first three Ministers-Designate: Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson for Finance, John Abdulai Jinapor for Energy, and Dr. Dominic Ayine for Attorney General and Minister for Justice.
“When the names were read out by Mr. Speaker, only three names were mentioned. This ‘tot tot’ appointment is unacceptable. This is a government that promised a 24-hour economy while in opposition,” Afenyo-Markin said. “They told us they were ready to govern, so where are the rest of the ministers? We expect to hear nominations for critical ministries like Agriculture, Roads and Highways, Lands and Natural Resources, and Education.”
The Effutu MP also expressed displeasure that the list of nominees was made public before it was officially presented to Parliament, which he said violated parliamentary protocol.
In response, Minority Chief Whip Frank Annoh-Dompreh assured that the ministerial vetting process would be thorough.
“We expect every nominee to come well prepared because it’s not going to be business as usual. We will subject them to a rigorous vetting process,” he said. He also noted that President Mahama had made it clear that he would not appoint more than 60 ministers and commended the Speaker and leadership for proactively establishing committees to manage the process.
Meanwhile, Deputy Majority Leader Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah urged cooperation from all parties to ensure effective governance.
“We’ve been indulgent with the Minority Leader because we understand this difficult transition. We believe it is important to allow him to express the frustrations that come with being in opposition,” he said.
The Ellembelle MP also reminded the Minority of their role in ensuring the smooth flow of parliamentary business.
“We expect you to be productive and cooperative, just as we did to ensure that government business was done, and we urge the Minority to work with us to keep this House functional and effective,” he added.