MPs Should Not Be Appointed Ministers – Prof. Oquaye Proposes

Prof Aaron Mike Oquaye, the former Speaker of Parliament has reignited the debate about the president having to appoint a number of Ministers from Parliament.

According to the one-time Dome-Kwabenya Member of Parliament, it is time to do away with that practice.

In an interview with the state-owned Daily Graphic, Oquaye said: “I want a complete dichotomy. A complete separation, in that, no minister will also be an MP and it’s nothing strange to us. We had it in 1979 under President Hilla Limann and we have it in America.

“We have it in Nigeria and in other places. It allows better performance of MPs and ensures accountability and responsibility can be more insured because you don’t appoint him or her,” he added.

Asked why he did not push that agenda during his time as Speaker, he pointed to having other equally pressing priorities to deal with at the time.

“I could have also done that but the table was also quite full, except that I spoke about them on various occasions and as for the dichotomy, I can assure you that we had meetings upon that as well, in that, I know very well that the Right Honourable Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin supports that viewpoint and he’s very experienced and a good parliamentarian.

“The Honourable Majority and the Honourable Minority leaders support it. We have the same view that to strengthen parliament, we would need to have a dichotomy. Let the ministers do their work and let the members of parliament also do their work and then check them,” he added.

According to the current arrangement in the 1992 Constitution, the President is bound to elect some Ministers from Parliament.

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Source: peacefmonline.com