The immediate past First Deputy Speaker of Parliament and former Chairman of the Appointments Committee, Joseph Osei Owusu, has slammed the leadership approach of his successor, Bernard Ahiafor, during committee proceedings.
Speaking on Accra-based Joy News, the former Bekwai MP described Mr Ahiafor’s demeanour as unnecessarily aggressive, a departure from his own collaborative style.
“I haven’t even watched any of the proceedings,” Osei Owusu noted. “But I’ve seen, in a particular case, somebody forwarded to me, that my friend chairman was needlessly raising his voice and showing a tendency to show machoism.”
“My style is different. We are all colleagues, and our duty is to ensure that the person qualifies in accordance with the Constitution and that he can do the work he has been nominated to do.”
Reflecting on his leadership, Osei Owusu acknowledged his strict adherence to rules while countering perceptions that he lacked flexibility.
“I was a bit surprised to see how hard-faced the chairman of the committee was addressing one of the members of the committee. That is not my style,” he stated.
“I believe strongly in the rules. I believe strongly in law and order. So if you’re going off board, I’ll bring you back,” he explained.
“I insist that you ask your question. You cut down on the comments before the question.”
“Probably from my experience as a lawyer, I make sure that the question is straight to the point. I don’t like going through the bush before you come to the main road,” he said.
“In the end, people spend five minutes on commentary and ask a one-minute question. Sometimes, they answer the question before they ask it. Those are the kinds of things I tried to avoid.”
By: Ekow Annan/newsalertgh.com
