Kennedy Agyapong opposed to Minority boycott of vetting

Outspoken Member of Parliament (MP) for Assin Central, Mr Kennedy Agyapong, has condemned the decision of the Minority in Parliament to boycott the vetting of presidential nominees for ministerial positions.

Mr Agyepong said the decision of the Minority was imposed on them by the National Executive of the NPP, and blamed his colleagues for allowing the national executive of the party to dictate to them on the matter.

Speaking on Kumasi-based Nhyira FM on Saturday, Mr Agyapong forcefully argued that the absence of the Minority on the Appointments Committee of Parliament was “a bad one” because it had given the nominees a field day to walk through the vetting without any difficulty.

He said if the Minority had participated in the vetting, they would have stripped some of the nominees naked but submitted that their own unpopular decision to boycot the proceedings had thrown everything overboard.

Mr Agyapong wondered whether the Minority could not take their own decision regarding their participation in the vetting.

He said the National Executive of the NPP was not helping the party in any way.

He was of the view that since the national executive did not do anything to the campaigning of the parliamentary candidates, the party leadership should have allowed the Members of Parliament on the Minority side to have taken their own decision.

Mr Agyapong said he would have challenged the decision by the National Executive of NPP but for the fact that he had travelled to Sierra Leone.

He said that majority of the party’s supporters were strongly against the boycott of the parliamentary vetting.

He said it was difficult to appreciate the fact that Minority MPs collected the money for accomodation only for them not to take part in the vetting.

Mr Agyapong said the NDC Majority were making a mockery of the Minority because of the boycott.

Mr Agyapong said once the NPP was in court challenging the results of the 2012 presidential elections, there was no need for the boycott of the vetting.

He, however, supported the case at the Supreme Court since he believed the election was cooked for the NDC.

Story by Kwame Asare Boadu