Contrary to public expectations

BAGBIN LEFT OFF THE HOOK
...treated with kid gloves by Minority
Posted: The Chronicle |Thursday, February 11, 2010

By Charles Takyi-Boadu, Linda Akrasi Kotey & Stephen Odoi Larbi

After subjecting Professor Dominic Fobih to a bout of tortuous questions which exposed his inability to recite the national pledge, many were those who thought the outgoing Majority Leader, Alban Kingsford Sumana Bagbin, would also be subjected to the same treatment, but the minority, surprisingly, treated him with kid gloves when he appeared before the Appointments Committee yesterday.
After he swore the oath and took his seat, Edward Doe Adjaho, Chairman of the Committee, asked whether Bagbin could recite the national pledge, since many people including members of the committee themselves, wanted to be sure he could recite it.

Bagbin laughed it off without any categorical answer, and rather chose to tell the tale of a frog and a lizard, which he said, had a foundation in the old and new testaments of the bible, to dodge the substantive question. At the tail end of the story, he implied that people were up in arms to seek revenge against him, typical of the case of a tooth for a tooth, an eye for an eye.

Later, the Member of Parliament (MP) for the Abuakwa-South Constituency, Atta Akyea, came in to ask Bagbin why he was not that much critical about the government on the issue of ex-gratia, unlike when he was criticising some ministers in the present administration.

But, Bagbin insisted that he and his other colleagues were vocal on the issue of ex-gratia when they appeared before the Yamson Committee, and added that he followed up in subsequent radio interviews. He could therefore not agree with Atta Akyea’s position.

At this point, the entire vetting process was virtually reduced to conversation.

What surprised most people was when the Minority Leader, Osei-Kyei Mensah-Bonsu, who is known for his hard-line questions, for once, lost his steam and engaged in friendly banter with Bagbin over the issue of who is older, since the Majority Leader had often created the impression that he was older than him (Mensah-Bonsu), and proceeded to ask him his date of birth.

Though Bagbin, clad in a white smock and a white hat to match, failed to openly say his date of birth, since it was on his curriculum vitae, a copy of which was before each member of the Committee, he admitted that the Minority Leader was his elder brother, in terms of age.

Knowing the challenges that Parliament, as an institution faces, the Minority Leader urged his colleague Majority Leader to help acquire more accommodation for members.

All this while, the Chairman sat in laxity and sometimes joined in the conversation.

Bagbin also declined to answer a question on whether he finds pleasure in the work of the Legislature (Parliament) or the Executive (Minister), asked him by Mensah-Bonsu.

Petty as it was, the issue dragged on for sometime, until the chairman intervened, probably when he thought the verbal exchanges were becoming too personal, only to appreciate the fact that the committee did not have any adverse findings about his tax declaration and police report.

Bagbin thanked members of the committee, and the entire House for their good working relation, stressing that long as he remains in Parliament, he would help to build and strengthen its imitative to develop the culture of the country’s democracy, which according to him, had not yet deepened.

Earlier, the incoming Interior Minister, Mr. Martin Amidu, told the hearing, presided over by the First Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Edward Doe Adjaho, that “crime should not be attached with any political coronation.”

“Crime is crime, no matter who is involved,” he told the Appointments Committee of Parliament yesterday, when he appeared before it for the public hearing.

His response was in connection to concerns raised by Mr. Ambrose Derry on why the government was being selective in pursuing justice in flashpoint conflict areas.

Calm-looking Amidu, dressed in a black political suit, demystified the perceived notion raised by Mr. Derry.

He told the Committee that highlighting on certain conflicts in the country does not mean the government had paid deaf ears to the others, and appealed to the members to be calm, as the government was equally up to the task in addressing the numerous conflicts that have hit some parts of the country.

According to him, there was the need to institutionalise conflict education, and let “the people know that each person in a conflict area is the result of that conflict.”

He stressed the need to adopt a multi-disciplinary approach towards solving conflicts in the country.

“Anybody who takes the law into his own hands, must be dealt with by the law,” he emphasised.

Of late, there have been conflicts in some parts of the country, including Agbogbloshie, Bawku, Swedru and Dagbon, among many others.

Dealing with the issues in these conflict areas has been a headache for the government of the day, especially the Dagbon conflict, because of political connotations attached to it.

Mr. Amidu, in response to the Dagbon crisis, said the problem was “intractable, and which builds layers along the road,” and therefore called for all hands on deck in solving the problem.

Mr. Osei-Kyei Mensah-Bonsu, MP for Suame, and a Ranking Member of the Appointments Committee, appealed to the incoming Interior Minister to critically examine all the incidents relating to conflict in the aforementioned areas, and let the law takes its course in dealing with anyone found guilty of having a hand in the conflict.

Mr. Martin Amidu promised to work hand-in-hand with the Police Council in addressing the issues raised. Touching on his plans in flushing out corrupt personnel in the Police Service, Mr. Martin Amidu said that would only be possible, if people were willing to report corrupt officials to the Police Council.

“None of us is prepared to report anybody who is perceived to be corrupt. If we get reports on corrupt officials within the service, we will act accordingly, since the Police Service is willing to flush out corrupt personnel in the service,” he noted. He believes that when personnel of the Police Service, together with other law enforcement agencies in sensitive areas, are paid very well, corrupt practices would be a thing of the past.

He made reference to the police personnel who were recently arrested in Accra for extorting money from drivers, and shared the belief that the Police Council did the right thing by interdicting them.

“Nobody should condone corruption in any institution, especially in government. If there is evidence to show that those police personnel arrested are corrupt, they must be prosecuted,” he added.

Stressing on the slack attitude on the part of the police in enforcing the law, the incoming Interior Minister attributed it to the insufficient number of police personnel in the country.

“The inability to enforce is also the problem of numbers. Because, if the police are overstretched, definitely, they would not be everywhere to enforce the law,” he noted.

He said that law and order were the context within which development can take place, and therefore promised to collaborate with the Inspector General of Police (IGP), who is responsible for the operation control and administration of the Police Service, to ensure that proper personnel who understand the importance of enforcement, are recruited into the service.

“Without peace, without tranquility, we cannot survive. Life and property are important. Detection of crime is also important. So, I will try at the Police Council level to ensure that we put in maximum efforts to increase the ability of the police in policing the law,” he added.

On insulating the Police Service from political interference, Mr. Amidu said he, together with the Police Council, would ensure that the legal framework of the country was respected.

According to him, there was nowhere in the Police Act that permits policemen to deal with citizens on the basis of political persuasion, adding, “ethically, it is reprehensible to treat a person just on the basis of where he belongs to.” He promised to deal with issues objectively, when giving the nod as Minister of the Interior, regardless of a person’s ethnic origin, gender, and sex.

At the initial stages of his hearing, Mr. Amidu had problems with his Curriculum Vitae (CV) and tax records, but the committee members decided to deal with those issues, especially that bordering on tax, behind closed doors.

Prior to Mr. Amidu’s appearance before the Committee, the Minister-designate for Employment and Social Welfare, Mr. Enoch Teye Mensah, dazzled his way through in answering questions relating to his new role, if given the nod.

His articulate nature, coupled with his in-depth knowledge about his new role was amazing, as he distinctively showcased the experience he has had in the public sector.

According to him, there should be a paradigm shift in the way things are run in the country by providing the right infrastructure and tools, coupled with good conditions of service to public servants in giving out their best.

On his part, the nominee to the Information Ministry and outgoing deputy Majority Leader, John Akologo Tia, said if he was given the nod, he would restrict himself to his task, spokesperson for the government.

According to him, his reassignment to another field was still a call to duty although the constant touch with Parliament may not be there, but to him it wa another experience, in another part of life as a politician.