Bernard Ahiafor (L) is Chairman of the Appointments Committee and Alexander Afenyo-Markin is Ranking Member
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Bernard Ahiafor, Chairman of Parliament’s Appointments Committee believes the number of frivolous questions posed to nominees during vetting would be minimised if the Ranking Member and Chair are given an upper ceiling of questions.

He says although that privilege granted the Ranking Member on the Committee was based on a certain reasonability, he believes it is being abused and should be changed.

This comes after the concerns raised by a section of the public over the unlimited time frame granted the Ranking Member on the Committee to ask as many questions as possible.

Alexander Kwamena Afenyo-Markin, the Minority Leader and Ranking Member on the Appointments Committee, during the vetting of Ministers-designate for Communications and Foreign Affairs, Samuel Nartey George and Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, on Thursday and Friday, January 30, and January 31, respectively, spent over three hours on each nominee asking them questions.

This raised a lot of questions about the time given to the Ranking MembersĀ  after the long hours spent on one of the nominees created a commotion when other nominees were to be vetted as a result of the time delay.

This, is what the Chairman says it is time to put a limit to the questions they ask to avoid such things from happening.

“Probably at the time that this practice and convention was was propounded, it was based on reasonability of the Ranking Members of the Committee. But now that we’ve realised that that rule is being abused, we need to take a second look at it, place a ban on either the number of questions that you have or the number of hours within which you have to operate,” he said in a special interview with Alfred Ocansey on TV3 Monday, February 03, 2025.

According to him, if that is done, there will not be time to ask questions that are unnecessary to the portfolio in question.

“I believe when we do it that way, some frivolous questions wouldn’t have been asked. You’ll go straight to the policy issues to test the knowledge of the nominee on the policies relating to the designated ministry.

“You’ll not spend so much time on the CV of the nominee. You won’t spend so much time on the tax clearance of the nominee when you have a tax clearance certificate before you. You won’t spend so much time in knowing where the nominee lives and whether it is a rented premises or it is his own house.

He believes getting an upper ceiling will ensure a smoother vetting process compared to the status quo.

“So, IĀ  believe when an upper ceiling is set in terms of the number of questions, it will go a long way to promote the smooth vetting of the Appointments Committee. I’m of the view that there should be a ceiling on me as the Chairman and then a ceiling on the Ranking Member,” he concluded.

Afenyo-Markin must apologise to Appointments Commitee Clerk – Ahiafor