A dramatic scene unfolded in Parliament on Wednesday, February 26 when Minority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin turned his guns on the Chairman of the Appointments Committee for rejecting a ‘dance question’ posed to a deputy minister-designate.
During the vetting of Justice Srem-Sai, the nominee for Deputy Minister at the Office of the Attorney-General and Minister for Justice, the Minority leader asked the nominee to perform a traditional dance, ‘Akpi’, from the Volta Region that he was not familiar with.
The Chairman of the Committee, however, ruled the question inappropriate and disallowed it.
This decision did not sit well with Afenyo-Markin, who accused the Chairman of acting in a “whimsical, capricious, and rude” manner.
Akpi dance
The Minority Leader insisted that the request for the nominee to dance Akpi should not be arbitrarily dismissed, arguing that such inquiries could provide insight into a nominee’s appreciation of Ghana’s diverse traditions.
The heated exchange briefly disrupted proceedings as the Chairman, First Deputy Speaker Bernard Ahiafor, took strong exception to the words used to describe him and requested the Minority to withdraw these words.
Afenyo-Markin flatly refused to withdraw the offensive words and apologize and the chairman decided to deny him the opportunity to ask further questions.
Justice Srem-Sai, a seasoned legal practitioner, maintained his composure throughout the incident. He had answered other questions related to his professional competence, his vision for the role and his background as a Voltarian.
The Minority leader afterwards withdrew his caucus from the vetting of the next nominee, Yusif Sulemana, the MP for Bole and Deputy minister-designate for Lands and Natural Resources.
Before staging the walkout, however, Afenyo-Markin warned that the Minority caucus would not approve the nomination of Justice Srem-Sai.
By Osumanu Al-Hassan/thenewsbulletin24.com