Former Deputy Energy Minister and former Member of Parliament for Sekondi, Andrew Egyapa Mercer, has cautioned against any attempt to silence the Minority in Parliament during the vetting of Chief Justice nominee, Justice Paul Baffoe-Bonnie.
Speaking in an interview on JoyNews on Monday, Mr. Mercer described the appointment of a Chief Justice as a “political process” that must allow for open parliamentary debate.
He emphasized that Parliament is a House of record, and therefore, if the Minority has any position on the nominee, it is proper that it be captured in the records for posterity.
“Because there’s already a precedent since 1992, the Majority should allow the Minority to make their point. To want to prevent them from doing so, to seek to put impediments in their way, is what is dragging the process, and I don’t think that is helpful for the Ghanaian people who are spending precious man hours watching the vetting,” he said.
Mr. Mercer added that while the Majority may have the numbers to determine the final outcome, the essence of democracy is to ensure that every side is heard.
“So allow them to make their point; that is the beauty of democracy,” he remarked.
His comments follow a heated exchange between the Minority and Majority Leaders during the vetting of Justice Baffoe-Bonnie, President John Dramani Mahama’s nominee for Chief Justice.
The disagreement arose after Minority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin accused the Majority side of acting in bad faith when Majority Leader Mahama Ayariga objected to his description of the nominee as a “disputed nominee.” Mr. Ayariga argued that the comment was inappropriate and politically charged.
In response, Mr. Afenyo-Markin defended his remark, insisting that the Majority was attempting to suppress legitimate parliamentary debate and accountability. He maintained that the Minority had every right to express its reservations about what it considers a politically influenced nomination.
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