The National Democratic Congress (NDC) MP for Sagnarigu, A. B.A. Fuseini, has warned that MPs would be eroding Ghana’s democracy by willfully ignoring the laws in the constitution and approving the Tourism Minister and Creative Arts nominee, Catherin Afeku.
Madam Afeku, during her vetting on Monday, confessed to Parliament’s Appointments Committee that she did not enroll onto the mandatory National Service Scheme as she was in Kenya at the time.
Madam Afeku, however expressed her readiness to undertake the 12-month national service if given the opportunity.
But speaking to Citi News shortly after the Minority’s boycott of Otiko Djaba’s approval as the Gender Minister on Tuesday following similar troubles with the National Service Act 426, Alhaji Fuseini said, Madam Afeku is also not qualified for the job.
“Anybody who has been engaged in infraction of the law is not qualified to hold public office. It is clear if you have flouted the law. You have to go and purge yourself before you come back. As legislators, we must be the first in line in defence of the law. If we allow infractions of the law to get away and we ourselves are involved in the brazen infraction of the law, then we are perpetuating something very dangerous for our democracy,” he said.
Similar concerns with the National Service Scheme enrollment were raised with Otiko Djaba, following her vetting, but she secured an exemption from the National Service Scheme after the Minority had kicked against her approval for the Gender Ministry portfolio.
Alhaji Fuseini, however, rubbished the waiver granted Otiko Djaba, saying it came too late.
“At the time she appeared before the appointments committee to be vetted and approved or otherwise, what was her status? She did not do national service at the time she appeared before the appointments committee.”
“So if at the time you were appearing before the committee, you were unsuitable, how then do you go and say after that you received a waiver. You should have gotten the waiver before appearing before the committee,” the NDC MP argued.
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