By Valentia Tetteh
The Minority Caucus in Parliament has declared that it will not succumb to intimidation from the Majority, as tensions continue to rise over the vetting of ministerial nominees.
The latest confrontation follows chaotic scenes during the Appointments Committee sitting on Thursday, January 30, where disagreements over scheduling led to a heated standoff between both sides of the House.
Addressing the media on Friday, January 31, the Minority Leader Mr. Alexander Afenyo-Markin accused the Majority of employing intimidation tactics to suppress dissenting views.
“We are few, but we are a mighty few. We are firm in our conviction and determined, and we shall never surrender to intimidation. Yesterday, we faced verbal attacks, and it took the vigilance of the police to escort us out of the chamber,” Afenyo-Markin stated.
The Minority also expressed frustration over what they described as a blatant disregard for pre-sitting agreements regarding the number of ministerial nominees scheduled for vetting.
“We commend the police for ensuring law and order, and we urge them to continue their work impartially. However, we are concerned that the Majority ignored prior agreements on the number of nominees to be vetted in a single sitting,” he added.
Tensions escalated after the Minority called for the vetting process to be rescheduled to Friday, January 31, citing procedural concerns and the need for thorough scrutiny of nominees. However, the Majority opposed the request, insisting that the vetting should proceed as originally planned.
The disagreement led to disruptions in the committee’s proceedings, forcing security personnel to intervene to restore order.
