Constituting cabinet within 30 days a huge success – Dafeamekpor

The Majority Chief Whip Rockson-Nelson Dafeamekpor has justified the swift constitution of government by the ruling National Democratic Congress, describing it as an achievement amid criticisms from the opposition.

Speaking on TV3’s Hot Issues on Sunday, February 9,  Dafeamekpor dismissed claims that the government had rushed its appointments without due parliamentary process, insisting that all necessary parliamentary committees were in place to facilitate ministerial approvals and other government functions.

“It is inaccurate to say that committees were not in place. The relevant committees that enable Parliament to function were constituted on the day of installation,” he stated, highlighting the formation of critical committees such as the Business Committee, Selection Committee, House Committee, and Appointments Committee in line with parliamentary procedures.

While acknowledging that some subject-matter committees were yet to be fully formed,  Dafeamekpor  assured that leadership from both caucuses had taken steps to ensure proper representation. “Before a nominee is vetted, leadership from both sides submits names to form a panel with relevant expertise,” he explained.

He also refuted allegations of deliberate efforts to expedite the approval of President John Mahama’s appointees, questioning why opposition MPs had caused disruptions if there had been an agreement to rush the vetting process.

“If there was no agreement to ensure the appointees were vetted in record time, why did we witness so much chaos and disorder?” he asked, attributing the disturbances to opposition attempts to delay proceedings in response to pressure from their party base.

“Our colleagues in opposition are receiving pressure from their base for allowing the ruling party to form a government so efficiently,” he said. “To counter this, they attempted to protract proceedings to slow down the process.”

 Dafeamekpor further clarified that before public hearings, both parties engaged in closed-door discussions to agree on the number of nominees to be vetted daily and the structure of questioning.

“There is always a pre-hearing agreement before we appear in public. We don’t just call nominees randomly; there is a structured process,” he emphasised.