The Majority NPP MPs during the press conference
MEMBERS OF Parliament (MPs) from both sides of the country’s political divide yesterday called for the sacking of Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta.
The NPP Majority caucus, which also called for the sacking of the Minister of State at the Finance Ministry, Charles Adu Boahen, said if the President does not do this, they will boycott the 2023 Budget reading in Parliament.
The challenge to President Akufo-Addo comes after he consistently rejected suggestions to ditch the Finance Minister in a bid to restore credibility.
Addressing the media in Parliament yesterday, spokesperson for the NPP MPs, Andy Kwame Appiah-Kubi said, “We members of the Majority caucus of Parliament have had occasions to defend allegations of conflict of interest, lack of confidence, trust against leadership of our Finance Ministry.”
According to him, recent developments within the Ghanaian economy are of “great concern to the greater majority of members of our caucus and our constituents.”
“We have made our grave concern to the President through the parliamentary leadership and the leadership of the party without any positive response,” Mr. Appiah-Kubi, who is the NPP MP for Asante-Akim North, stated.
Flanked by his colleagues, he said they were using the press conference to communicate their strong desire for the President to immediately reshuffle the Minister of Finance and the Minister of State in the Finance Ministry without further delay in order to “restore hope into the financial sector and reverse the downward trend in the growth of the economy.”
“The summary of our concern leads to a plea that the Minister of Finance, Ken Ofori-Atta, and the Minister of State at the Ministry of Finance, Charles Adu Boahen, should be removed from office,” he stressed.
He continued, “We pray that this prayer will be carried to the Presidency,” while serving notice that should President Akufo-Addo fail to remove the two from office, they, as members of the Majority caucus, would not participate in any business of government by or for the President by any other minister.
“We hope that those of us at the back bench and members of the Majority caucus will abide by this prayer. We are saying that if our request is not responded to positively, we will not be present for the budget hearing either will we participate in the debate,” Mr. Appiah-Kubi insisted.
Some of the MPs who were present during the press briefing are Kingsley Adomako, Eugene Boakye, Patricia Appiagyei, Nana Yaw Afriyie, Emmanuel Akwasi Gyamfi, Cynthia Mamle Morrison, Carlos Kingsley Ahenkorah and Sanid Adamu Suleman.
NDC MPs Table Motion To Censure Ofori-Atta
Members of the NDC Minority caucus also tabled a motion of censure over the leadership of Mr. Ofori-Atta.
Leader of the caucus, Haruna Iddrisu, who spoke to the motion on the floor of Parliament, said Mr. Ofori-Atta should be made to account for his “poor performance” with the economy, noting, “If he performed well in 2017 and 2018, he is no longer fit for purpose.”
The motion, filed on behalf of the NDC MPs by the Minority Chief Whip, Mohammed-Mubarak Muntaka, requested the House to pass a vote of censure on the Minister for Finance, Ken Ofori-Atta, in accordance with Article 82 of the 1992 Constitution.
Grounds
According to the NDC MPs, the Finance Minister is in “despicable conflict of interest” for allegedly and directly benefiting from Ghana’s economic woes as “his companies receive commissions and other unethical contractual advantage, particularly from Ghana’s debt overhang.”
“Unconstitutional withdrawals from the Consolidated Fund in blatant contravention of Article 178 of the 1992 Constitution supposedly for the construction of the President’s Cathedral; legal payment of oil revenues into offshore accounts in flagrant violation of Article 176 of the 1992 Constitution; and deliberate and dishonest misreporting of economic data to Parliament,” the motion noted.
The NDC MPs are also accusing the Finance Minister of “fiscal recklessness leading to the crash of the Ghana Cedi, which is currently the worst performing currency in the world; and alarming incompetence and frightening ineptitude resulting in the collapse of the Ghanaian economy and an excruciating cost of living crisis.”
Majority Leader
Meanwhile, the Majority Leader, Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, cautioned the House to tread cautiously, noting that any such action might have dire consequences on the negotiation with the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
“My own personal thinking is whether or not this thing could be done mainstream into the negotiations with the IMF and again mainstream in the crafting of a budget. What would be the effect; the contagious effects of this in the negotiations and also, I think it’s impact on the performance of the currency as you see now,” he stated.
Impeachment
Deputy Minority Whip, Ahmed Ibrahim, yesterday told the media that the impeachment was also as a result of inconsistency in policies, non-performance and lack of performing statutory obligations.
“This morning, we were told that our brothers from the Majority, are calling on the President to dismiss the Finance Minister. What we are coming to say is we are the representatives of the people.
“The Minority Leader did not do a press conference. He told the Chairman of the Business Committee that as representatives of the people and duty bearers, we must move a motion to call for the head of the Finance Minister,” he stated.
According to him, if the Majority members believe in this course, they should support the motion by the Minority to dismiss the Finance Minister.
He indicated that the press conference by the Majority caucus was long overdue.
BY Ernest Kofi Adu