Dr. Clement Abasinaab Apaak, National Democratic Congress (NDC) Member of Parliament for Builsa South, has questioned the constitutionality of the President’s State of the Nation Address (SoNA) without a cabinet in place.
President Nana Addo presents his first SONA to the seventh parliament at Parliament House tomorrow Tuesday 21st February 2017.
But Dr. Apaak has raised alarm that it’s not proper or constitutionally right for the president to present his SONA without a cabinet in place or its secretary.
He argues that, the 1992 Constitution allows a maximum of 19 cabinet members as captured under article 76. Cabinet must have a secretary, has one been appointed? He queried.
“For the avoidance of doubt, Article 76 – 1 states that there shall be a Cabinet which shall consist of the President, the Vice-President and not less than ten and not more than nineteen Ministers of State. 2) The Cabinet shall assist the President in the determination of general policy of the Government. 3) There shall be a Secretary to the Cabinet who shall be appointed by the President”, Apaak said.
The MP speculated that the challenge of who gets the call and who does not -could be the reason the Cabinet has not been formed and or announced.
He asks “What of the Constitutional requirement of a Cabinet Secretary? What is the hold up? By the way, Mr. President presents his first SONA tomorrow the 21st, saying Nana Addo’s headache could be result from the many new ministers and ministries he has created.
“Is it not strange that he has not appointed a Cabinet Secretary and has not decided on his cabinet. Yet he is to address the nation morrow”, he added.
Arguing further Apaak said the SoNa will layout broad policy proposals and positions, these will have to go to cabinet, no cabinet or cabinet secretary.
The budget, the Builsa South MP said only gives sources of revenue and the anticipated v expenditure with regards to the policies and programmes outlined in the SoNA.
Interestingly, checks indicates that the presidents predecessors put in place their cabinets and secretaries before addressing SoNA.
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