Selection of members to committees of
parliament begins
Selection of members to committees of
parliament begins
Accra (Greater Accra) 10 January 2001
Parliament on Tuesday endorsed a 19-member Committee of Selection to begin the formation of 27 committees to digest the various draft bills and policy documents brought to the House before a final decision is taken at the plenary session.
The selection of members for the committee is in line with Standing Order 151 (1) of the house.
It states that "At the first meeting of every session of Parliament, there shall be appointed a committee of selection comprising Mr Speaker as chairman and not more than 19 other members".
This issue generated an argument when the list was presented to the House by the leadership when the House reconvened after two hours of recess.
Mr Kosi Kedem (NDC-Hohoe South) started it all when he questioned why the names of three members on the Selection Committee, comprising one CPP; one PNC; and one Independent, appeared among the 10 members forwarded by the majority side.
They were Mr Freddie Blay, CPP; Mr Moses Baah, PNC; and Mr Rashid Bawa, Independent.
Mr Seidu Adamu (NDC-Bibiani) added his voice, saying that the names of the minority members should not have appeared on the list of the majority.
Mr J.H. Mensah, Majority Leader, explained that the Standing Orders on the Selection Committee was not clearly defined as to who should be a member or not.
He said the Orders only said that the Selection Committee should be made of 19 members of whom nine were from the NDC side.
At this juncture, the Speaker, Mr Peter Ala Adjetey, said the leadership had agreed that the list should be maintained at such so that the House could begin work immediately and later the nitty-gritty of the composition could be revisited.
He said the issue was a minor one and that it should not be laboured and quoted John Ploughman saying: "we don't stop the plough to catch a mouse".
"The leadership of the House should be able to iron out the little differences amicably. We are being watched by the nation and we do not have to debate on every little issue."
Mr Alban Bagbin, Minority Leader, agreed with the Speaker and said the issue would be revisited at the appropriate time.
The House adjourned to January 18 and asked the Selection Committee to begin its meeting at the Speaker's office on Wednesday.
GRi…/
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