Veteran journalist Kwesi Pratt Jnr., has criticised the Minority Leader and Member of Parliament (MP) for Effutu, Alexander Kwamina Afenyo-Markin, over his antics during the vetting of President John Mahama's ministerial nominees.

Speaking during a panel discussion on the Good Morning Ghana programme on January 20, 2024, Kwesi Pratt indicated that some of the questions asked during the vetting by Afenyo-Markin, who is the ranking member of the Appointments Committee of Parliament, were unnecessary.

He expressed his shock at the Minority Leader asking the Minister of Education, Haruna Iddrisu, questions in the Twi dialect to test his proficiency in the language.

He therefore called on the Minority Leader to stop what he described as “comedy” during the vetting and to ask questions that focus on the competencies of the nominees.

“You know that your standing orders prescribe the language that ought to be used in Parliament. So, that language should be used in all parliamentary committee sittings. Unfortunately, I saw the Minority Leader use a language that is not prescribed, and his excuse was, ‘Oh, we’ve seen in your CV that you speak a number of languages, and we are testing your proficiency in those languages.’

“Where did that come from? Is that why we set up the vetting committee? Has that become the new Ghana Institute of Languages? What is this? The vetting committee should stick to its mandate. Its mandate is to find out whether persons nominated by the president are qualified to be ministers and, perhaps, to assess their intellectual ability to execute the functions assigned to them as ministers. Stop the comedy. I think the comedy sometimes is too much,” he lamented.

The veteran journalist also cited the incident where a ministerial nominee was asked to sing a church song.

“I witnessed one vetting process where someone nominated as a minister was asked, ‘Do you go to church?’ The person said, ‘Oh, yes, I go to church.’ ‘Oh, you must therefore know how to sing hymns.’ ‘Oh, I sing hymns.’ ‘Can you sing a hymn for us?’ I mean, this is preposterous. And this is happening in front of all of us.

“Is that how to vet ministers? They come and sing Methodist hymns, and you approve them. Are you vetting them as choir masters or what? Absolutely strange,” the veteran journalist bemoaned.

Background:

The Minority Leader, during Haruna Iddrisu’s vetting on January 19, 2025, decided to switch things up by testing Iddrisu’s proficiency in Twi, one of the most widely spoken languages in Ghana.

Afenyo-Markin asked Iddrisu, "Haruna Iddrisu, how long have you served as a Member of Parliament?" in Twi, to which Iddrisu responded confidently, "Close to twenty years."
This exchange drew applause from the Committee and other attendees. In a light-hearted moment, Afenyo-Markin jokingly declared, "You’ve passed," prompting more laughter and applause from those present.

The exchange highlighted Iddrisu’s linguistic capabilities, with his CV listing his proficiency in English, Dagbani, Hausa, and Twi.

Afenyo-Markin expressed his admiration for Iddrisu’s Twi proficiency, remarking, "I am impressed with your Twi. I sense there is a southern influence."

Iddrisu, in turn, credited his wife for helping him improve his Twi, further lightening the moment and showcasing the personal side of the minister-designate.

Watch Kwesi Pratt Jnr's remarks in the video below:

Vetting of Ministerial Nominees: Stop the comedy - Kwesi Pratt chides Afenyo-Markin and others on the Appointments Committee #GoodMorningGhana #MetroTV pic.twitter.com/QWDTK4oUdM

— Metro TV Ghana (@metrotvgh) January 22, 2025