Asiedu Nketia’s appointment should have gone to a technical person – Draman

Executive Director of the Africa Centre for Parliamentary Affairs (ACEPA), Dr Rasheed Draman has said that the appointment of Johnson Asiedu Nketia to serve on the Parliamentary Service Board (PBS) should have gone to a more technical person to offer technical advice to the board on the business of parliament.

He said it is unfortunate that the two major political parties, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the National Democratic Congress (NDC) have been occupying the slots over the years.

The Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin on Monday, March 29 appointed Mr. Asiedu Nketia who is the General Secretary of the NDC, to serve on the PSB.

The PBS is chaired by the Speaker of Parliament, Mr. Bagbin.

Other members of the board are the Minister of Parliamentary Affairs and Leader of Government Business in Parliament, Mr. Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, the Minority Leader, Mr. Haruna Iddrisu, and Mr. Abraham Osei Aidoo, who is a former New Patriotic Party (NPP) Member of Parliament and former Majority Leader.

The Speaker thanked the committee for its advice and assured that he would proceed to appoint the persons named as members of the PSB.

“But I want to note that the former Parliamentary Service Board had Honorable Hackman Owusu-Agyeman as a member of the board and Hackman Owusu Agyeman later became the Chairman of the Council of Elders of the New Patriotic Party (NPP)."

“That one was not intrusion into the governance of Parliament by a political party. What is good for the gander is also good for the goose. Honorable members the board will be constituted and we will start our work,” he said.

Commenting on this appointment in an interview with TV3’s Dela Michel on the Mid Day news Tuesday, March 30, Dr. Draman said “We have to go to history and look at how these appointments have been made, not even the most recent past in the seventh parliament.

“But if we go as far back as the fourth or fifth parliament, we are going to realize that what has happened is that usually, you would have the Majority and Minority leader as members of the board, the Speaker chairs, the Clark is a member and then the two other slots usually are shared by the two major political parties.

“In the recent past, we have had a leading member of the NPP in the person of Honourable Hackman Owusu Agyeman as a member of the board."

“I would have thought that over the years, the two slots that are usually reserved for those who are not from within parliament will go to technical people who can help advice the speaker and the leadership of parliament in terms of how the business of parliament should be structured."

“But unfortunately, we see the two parties all guilty in terms of making sure that these appointments are done in such a way that they bring their own.”