Members of Parliament of the Majority side calling for the sack of the Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta, reportedly failed to turn up for the 2023 budget debate in Parliament on Today, November 29, 2022.
Most of their seats in the House were left unoccupied as a way of expressing their dissatisfaction about the minister still in office.
A source told Ampem Gyeke-Dark of AfricaOwn.com that the Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta who supposedly needed to move the motion for the start of the debate, was not in parliament before the start of the debate. This prompted the ‘rebel’ MPs to leave the house.
It was clear his lateness to the house, among other things provoked the aggrieved Majority Caucus to stay out of the debate.
However, some of the MPs who happen to be ministers and leadership in parliament stayed to debate the budget.
Prior to the presentation of the 2023 budget and economic statement of the government, some 98 MPs threatened to boycott the budget. However, the leadership of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) and government intervened to get to them attend the presentation.
Spokesperson for the aggrieved MPs, Andy Appiah-Kubi, said on Peace FM’s Kokokroo, a local radio station,
It’s not only the budget that we will boycott, we will no longer be a part of any government business. That is the position we have taken. It starts from now.
Ofori-Atta is not the only one with knowledge, he must go. I can assure you, we will not backtrack our decision. If the President refuses to sack him, it’s up to him.
He called on Mr. Ofori-Atta to resign honourably if the President is reluctant to sack him.
Without fear or any contradiction, we, the 98 Majority MPs do not support the ongoing vote of censure. That is an approach by the Minority. All that we want is for the President to sack Ofori- Atta, he added.
Ofori-Atta is currently under investigation by an Ad-hoc committee for financial recklessness, conflict of interest, gross mismanagement of the economy among other claims.
The Parliamentarians started on November 29, 2022, to debate on the 2023 budget statement presented by Ken Ofori-Atta last week.
Some portions of the budget have been criticized over the impact it will have on their businesses and livelihood.
Government has Designed next year’s budget to strategically focus on pivotal policies to restore and stabilise the macroeconomy, build resilience, and to promote inclusive growth and value creation.
The 2023 budget statement captured updates on Ghana’s engagement with the International Monetary Fund for a $3 billion programme, the macro-fiscal performance of the economy; the YouStart initiative under the Ghana CARES Programme; climate action strategies; fiscal measures and debt management strategies to ensure fiscal and debt sustainability and promote growth.
