Parliament has been drawn into the developing story surrounding the interdiction of the Director of Passports, Mr Yaya Amantana Mahama, as lawmakers demand full executive accountability over ongoing investigations at the Passport Office.
The Minority Leader, Alexander Afenyo-Markin, has called on the Leader of Government Business to schedule an urgent appearance for the Minister of Foreign Affairs to brief the legislature through its Committee on Foreign Affairs.
Addressing the floor of the House, the Effutu MP argued that the standard handling of the issue within executive quarters falls short of the transparency required for a matter that has captured national attention.
“For the Leader of Government Business to again program Honourable Minister of Foreign Affairs to come and brief this House on the matter of Mr Yaya Amantana Mahama, Director of Passport, who has been interdicted,” he said.
Emphasising the constitutional duty of the executive branch to keep lawmakers informed, Afenyo-Markin noted that parliamentarians represent the voice of the public on matters of significant concern.
“Mr Speaker, we have a Committee on Foreign Affairs. We need the Minister to come and brief the House through its Committee on this matter,” he added.
“It is not enough for the Minister to confine itself to its executive functions when the matter is of public interest. The people of this country need to know and they must know it through their representatives,” he stated.
Pressing his request directly to the house leadership, the Minority Leader reiterated the necessity of an official update to clear any ambiguity surrounding the director’s removal from post.
“So Mr Speaker, again I would plead with the Leader of Government Business to invite the Foreign Minister to come to this House and update us on this matter,” Afenyo-Markin said.
In response, Majority Leader James Agalga confirmed the administrative action taken against the public official, clarifying that the step was taken solely to safeguard the integrity of the investigative procedure.
“Yes, Mister Alhassan Mahama has been interdicted to pave way for ongoing investigations to continue,” he told the House.
Addressing the Minority’s request directly, Agalga indicated that the government has no intention of evading scrutiny and confirmed the sector minister’s readiness to cooperate fully with legislative oversight.
“And so if the argument is that the honourable Foreign Minister should avail himself, make himself available for questioning or appear before the appropriate committee, a mere invitation to the Minister will suffice and he is somebody who is very willing and eager to come to this House and appear before the Committee for Foreign Affairs and apprise them of how far they have gone with the investigations,” Mr Agalga said.
The Majority Leader further assured the assembly that the state’s probe would be thorough, adding that the administration remains committed to ensuring that anyone implicated in wrongdoing is held to account.
By: Rainbowradioonline.com/Ghana