All Ministerial Appoints Have To Appear Before Parliament - Clerk

Accra, July 8, All persons, whether incumbent or fresh, nominated for ministerial appointments, would have to appear before the Appointments Committee of Parliament for approval, following a review of the February 14 resolution today. However, persons already retained as Ministers prior to today's review may not necessarily have to come for re-consideration by the Committee, Mr Rex Owusu-Ansah, Acting Clerk of Parliament, told the Ghana News Agency. Mr Owusu-Ansah who was giving a brief on a consensus motion that was accepted by the House to bury the six-month impasse over retained Ministers, said the review cannot take retrospective effect. ''Laws made in Parliament do not take retrospective effect, therefore the resolution passed today can only be applicable to future nominations from the president.'' Parliament last February, adopted a resolution which made it unnecessary for hold-over ministers to be retained without prior approval by the House. This resolution and the subsequent retaining of some incumbent ministers was contested in Court by the New Patriotic Party (NPP) group in Parliament with at least five walkouts during the period. Mr Owusu-Ansah said today's resolution to review that of February 14, was more of a political than a legal issue, adding what is more important is that both sides have reached a concensus to let the matter rest. He said the resolution as adopted today would develop gradually to remove ambiguities in the course of related business in the House and appealed for the sustenance of the prevailing co-operation and tolerance from both sides.