During the vetting of Supreme Court Judge nominee, Justice Kweku Tawiah Ackaah-Boafo, on Friday, June 20, there were some lighthearted moments when an attempt to recite the national pledge turned into a friendly tussle among members of Parliament’s Appointments Committee.
The amusing incident began when Minority Leader, Alexander Afenyo-Markin, prompted the nominee to recite the national pledge after he had called for Ghanaians to embrace patriotism in his remarks during the vetting.
Justice Ackaah-Boafo, caught off guard, replied, “Mr. Chair, I am not sure I can recite it,” which elicited laughter from the committee members.
The Committee Chairman, Bernard Ahiafor, quickly came to the nominee’s defense, stating, “The nominee is honest to say that ‘I will not be able to recite it,’ so why would you insist? An honest answer has been provided,” he remarked.
Not backing down, Afenyo-Markin clarified, “I didn’t say that even though you mentioned you cannot recite it fully, you should still give it a try. I only asked you to share the parts that come to mind.”
Justice Ackaah-Boafo then managed to recall just the first line of the pledge. Noticing his struggle, Afenyo-Markin decided to recite the pledge line by line for the nominee to repeat — but that too came with its own set of challenges.
Chairman Ahiafor, noticing the Minority Leader’s slight missteps, joked, “But you are struggling too.”
Afenyo-Markin playfully replied, “If I’m struggling, at least I’ve made an attempt.”
Ahiafor shot back in jest, “That’s why I haven’t tried — because I don’t want to struggle.”
This exchange brought laughter throughout the room, providing a rare moment of lightness during what is usually a serious and formal process.
Source: HotFmOnline.com
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