It's just our jobs we do, we don't get bribed to do it - Joe Osei Owusu

Joseph Osei-Owusu, the First Deputy Speaker of Parliament, has shot down claims that Members of Parliament are bribed by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo into accepting his nominees for the various ministerial positions.

Contrary to the claims, the MP for Bekwai said that what they do as MPs in such processes is simply their job and do not in any way, get motivated to do so by way of bribes from anywhere.

He maintained that the erroneous impressions that have been created in the minds of people that nobody does anything without motivated in a way to do it, is the reason such claims can be slapped on them.

“Unfortunately, we have become too corrupt as a country, nobody accepts that you can do something genuinely without thinking about your palm being greased or that you are being promised something. But that is not it when it comes to Parliament,” he stressed.

Following the nomination and eventual approval of ministerial nominees by President Akufo-Addo, many had cause to criticize the MPs on what some of them believed was a lack of proper execution of their mandates as lawmakers.

More particularly, the approvals of Ken Ofori-Atta for Finance, Mavis Hawa Koomson for Fisheries and Aquaculture Development, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah for Information, and Dr. Owusu Afriyie-Akoto for Food and Agriculture, received the most concerns, reports myjoyonline.com.

The claims were further heightened when the opposition National Democratic Congress, contrary to widespread public notices that they will reject some of the nominees due to their unimpressive performances, made an express U-turn, unanimously endorsing all the ministers-designates.

Also, Joseph Osei Owusu gave indications that Parliament will investigate the circumstance that characterized disturbances on the morning of January 7 when the Speaker of Parliament was being elected.

“We will investigate for the purpose of informing ourselves and guarding our seats. The [Parliament] Marshall will bring a report. All of us witnessed the fights but it is important for the record to put together the specific acts of individuals so that in the end, we will be guided by what has happened,” he stated.