My job as spokesperson will not conflict with my new role as Minister – Hamid

Minister-designate for Information, Mutapha Hamid has said his role as spokesperson for President Akufo-Addo will not conflict with his duties if approved.

He was asked by Anthony Karbo whether his duty as spokesperson for President Akufo-Addo will not conflict with that as Minister of Information.

But the nominee disagreed saying the president is the embodiment of government and it is his vision and philosophy that drives government and therefore, ''I want to believe that they are one in the same principal''.

In his view, having a spokesperson for the president and a Minister for Information is rather what would create conflict as to who speaks on what and so on. But when its unified like the way the president has arranged it, I think it will bring focus to the spokesman ship.’’

Meanwhile, the Minority Leader Haruna Iddrisu following up with a comment said he had a difficulty appreciating what the nominee said.

He said for all intent and purposes, the committee received a letter from the president that, Mustapha Hamid has been appointed as Minister of Information.

He said they are unable to appreciate any other portfolio aside what they received from the president. He added the Ministry of Information is very important. He was asked by Anthony Karbo whether the role of an Information Minister is important today as the adverse of technology continues to grow.

He said, the difference between free societies and undemocratic and not free is that; under authoritarian societies, information is controlled-Citizens do not have access to government information and what their government is doing.

In our democratic dispensation, the Ministry of Information is important in order to give timely, accurate and truthful information to the citizenry on how the governance process is going and also to receive feedback from the citizens that will inform government programmes and projects.''