Emelia Arthur
PRESIDENT ATTA Mills’ nominee for Western Regional Deputy Minister, Emelia Arthur, yesterday appealed for assistance as she was subjected to on-the-spot mathematical calculations by the Appointments Committee of Parliament.
Ms Arthur who, until her nomination, was the District Chief Executive for Shama, had a hectic time calculating the number of government appointees to the District Assemblies after figures of other representations had been given by the Minority Leader and Ranking Member of the Committee, Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu.
Having racked her brains without success to get the correct figures, which created simmering tensions in some districts during the inauguration of District Assemblies, the Western Regional deputy Minister designate cried out: “Help me with a calculator please!”, generating uncontrollable laughter from the audience in the vetting room.
However, Ms. Arthur was not the only nominee who struggled with the calculation. Two others – Aquinas Quansah and Ebenezer Okletey Terlabi, Deputy Ministers-designate for Local Government and Rural Development and the Eastern Region respectively- were caught virtually biting their fingers for answers.
Ms Arthur, who was described as eloquent and quite intelligent in her delivery, indicated that she was a member of the defunct National Reform Party (NRP), but believed in the ideology of the National Democratic Congress (NDC).
According to her, she would use the experience gained as DCE to support the substantive minister to address the challenges facing education, roads and water sectors among others in the region.
Answering a question on the influx of refugees in the Western Region from Cote d’Ivoire, Ms. Arthur said in the spirit of good neighbourliness, it was important for Ghana to support its neighbours who flee from conflict-ravaged countries.
She noted that although the challenges would be enormous, the Western Regional Coordinating Council and the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) should be able to effectively handle the refugee situation.
Appearing before the Committee, Aquinas Quansah, Deputy Minister-designate for Local Government and Rural Development, indicated that he would assist the sector minister to encourage more interaction between MPs and the Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs) for development.
He said the current situation in which some MMDCEs were at each other’s throats did not augur well for the development of the country, particularly at the districts.
Mr. Quansah, who is also the MP for Mfantseman West, said it was about time members of the Unit Committees were given proper recognition.
The Unit Committee Members, he advocated, should be given the right motivation and training so that they could participate effectively in the local governance system.
Also appearing before the Appointments Committee for vetting was the Deputy Eastern Regional Minister-designate, Ebenezer Okletey Terlabi.
He also had a tough time answering questions on his Curriculum Vitae (CV) as members of the Committee punched numerous holes in it.
Mr. Terlabi, a Biochemistry lecturer at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), told the Committee he was going to assist the Regional Minister to tackle the challenges confronting the region.
One of the challenges, he observed, would be to weed out illegal gold miners at Abuakwa South.
Ernest Attuquaye Armah, nominee for Deputy Minister for Communications and MP for Trobu-Amasaman, spent just about five minutes at the vetting as he was not quizzed on anything substantial.
He was only advised to withdraw his CV and re-present a better one.
The new nominee for appointment as District Assemblies Common Fund Administrator, Kojo Fynn, was also vetted by the Committee.
He is taking over from Joshua Magnus Nicol, who had been in charge of the Common Fund for about a decade, serving efficiently under both the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and National Democratic Congress (NDC).
Chairman of the Appointments Committee and First Deputy Speaker, Edward Doe Adjaho and other members of the Committee entreated Mr. Fynn to follow in the footsteps of his predecessor.
“I must say that Mr. Nicol had endured himself to the House (Parliament) and members of the relevant committees and I urge you to consult him when approved by this House,” Mr. Adjaho, who is also the MP for Avenor/Ave, admonished the nominee.
Mr. Fynn, a Chartered Accountant, is taking the post with an enviable record in both public and private sectors.
He was Assistant Commissioner at Internal Revenue Service (IRS). He held other important positions in several establishments, including Standard Chartered Bank. He is currently a Managing Partner of MGI Hydefynn & Osei Chartered Accountants.
By Awudu Mahama
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