Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu and Dr. Ato Forson
The Majority Leader, Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, has admonished his Minority counterpart, Dr. Ato Forson not to walk on the slippery slope, by “incessantly singing dirges” for the government.
According to him, the Minority Leader has a habit of criticising the government’s economic management at every opportunity.
He said this after Dr. Forson had told the House that Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta, and the government were asking Ghanaians to pat them in the back after grossly mismanaging the economy and subsequently running to the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
But in a sharp rebuttal, Mr. Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu expressed surprise at the conduct of his colleague, saying, “I believe we will have time to discuss the state of the economy at this meeting, especially when you have the mid-year review. I am surprised my colleague is jump-starting.”
“He wants the debate now, and he says that this government has run to the IMF and it is attributable to gross mismanagement.
“You also splinted to the IMF, was it on account of gross mismanagement of the economy? Mr. Speaker, I don’t know, but I think it is a statement not ought to have been made. I don’t know where this is coming from,” the Majority Leader noted.
He continued, “At the time, when you splinted to the IMF, there was no COVID-19; there was a self-inflicted dumsor on this country and it is attributable to you. We should be careful to begin to sing dirges.”
“The sickness that befell the vulture which culminated in a hair loss, if it had afflicted the crow, the crow would have been buried,” he slammed.
“What happened at our time, if it had happened at your era, you would have collapsed the entire country,” he added, arguing, “When it comes to the management of the economy, the facts and figures stand tall for the NPP. Don’t go there.”
By-election
On the impending by-election, Mr. Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu said the country had a very peaceful by-election in Kumawu and hoped that the Assin North by-election will follow the same trajectory.
“Again for my colleague to send us back and say that we should not allow what happened at Ayawaso West to happen again in the next by-election.
“To me, I think it is not a statement that ought to have been made. Because if you are talking about the most violent by-election that we have had in this country, it was at Chereponi when seven people were shot at point blank by an operative from the Castle.
“You have the courage to talk about violence in by-election? Don’t go there. You are a newly baptized Minority Leader; you have not been confirmed yet as the Minority Leader. The bishop is waiting to confirm you,” he asserted.
By Ernest Kofi Adu, Parliament House