A cross-section of Ghanaians have expressed varied views on the bribery allegation against the Appointments Committee of Parliament.
While some have called for a thorough independent investigation into the issue, others are of the view that it should be treated with the contempt it deserves.
And sharing their opinions, the respondents who called for probe into the matter expressed disappointment in Parliament, particularly the leadership of the Appointments Committee.
While they called for their removal from the committee, they also called on the Speaker of Parliament, Rt. Hon Mike Aaron Ocquaye to, as a matter of urgency, commission a full-scale investigation into the allegation.
According to them, anything short of that would fuel the perception that the legislature was corrupt.
“The onerous task now lies on Parliament to purge itself off this scandal if members of the House want Ghanaians to continue to have faith in them,” a radio mechanic at Avenor, a suburb of Accra, Kwame Amponsah, said.
He indicated that the issue was about credibility and that it would do the MPs a lot of good if they allowed for an investigation into the matter.
A 60-year-old man who was short of words had this to say: “These are the people, who call themselves “Honourables,” yet they are the most insincere people we have in this country.”
Describing it as an “embarrassment,” a law student, who gave his name as Benjamin Afrifa, urged the leadership of Parliament to use every possible means to establish the authenticity of the allegation or otherwise.
He however, advised that it should be devoid of partisanship so as to help move the country forward.
But another school of thought believes that it would be waste of time and resources to investigate the issue.
According to them, there was no iota of truth in the allegation, and that it must not be given any space in the media.
For instance, a banker, who gave his name as Emmanuel Danso, asked: “do you (referring to this reporter) believe these minority members who are on the committee?
…Don’t you think they are trying to make themselves relevant now that they are out of power?”
For him, any investigation into the bribery allegation will amount to nothing.
A trader at the Kwame Nkrumah Circle, Yaa Frema, also shared same, describing the allegation as “total false.”
She therefore, pleaded with the Speaker of Parliament not to waste the nation’s resources on any investigation body to handle the issue.
“We know Mr. Agyarko did not pay money for his nomination to be approved. Then if he did that we can also conclude that he paid money to President Akufo-Addo before he was nominated,” he averred.
Meanwhile some statesmen and civil society groups have called on the embattled energy minister to resign for an investigation to be carried out.
Former diplomat, Dr. K. B. Asante, for instance, called on the president to privately ask Mr. Agyarko to resign.
It would be recalled that Bawku Central Member of Parliament (MP) in the Upper East Region, Mahama Ayariga, on Accra-based Radio Gold on Thursday, January 26, 2017 alleged that the then Energy Minister-designate, Boakye Agyarko, attempted to bribe the Minority members on the Appointments Committee to approve his nomination.
According to the MP, each of his colleagues, including himself, received Ghc3000 from their leader on the committee, who is the Minority Chief Whip and also the MP for Asawase constituency in the Ashanti Region, Muntaka Mubarak Mohammed.
He (Mahama Ayariga) said they thought initially the money was a sitting allowance for MPs on the committee, but returned his share of the money when he heard a rumour that it had actually come from Mr. Agyarko to influence those (minority MPs) to endorse his nomination as minister.
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