Ken Ofori-Atta
MEMBERS OF Parliament (MPs) from the Minority National Democratic Congress (NDC) are making a last-minute push to lure their colleagues from the ruling party to support their quest to unseat Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta.
Leader of the Minority Caucus, Haruna Iddrisu, has admitted that his side lacks the numbers to unseat the Finance Minister in a censure motion, and appealed to “like-minded” MPs from the Majority New Patriotic Party (NPP) for support.
The NDC wants to capitalise on the economic difficulties faced by the country to get the Finance Minister removed from office, on trumped up charges of conflict of interest, misreporting of economic data to Parliament, breach of the constitution (Article 176), and fiscal recklessness.
The economy has been in crisis since the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, with the Russia-Ukraine war worsening the economic situation in the country, while Mr. Ofori-Atta has also defied calls to stand down.
Mr. Iddrisu, who is also the NDC MP for Tamale South, said on the floor of the House yesterday that the Minority Caucus had not got all the required numbers to back the vote, but indicated that his side had not abandoned the desire to sack the Finance Minister.
“I am aware that my side may not have the numbers to succeed on a motion of censure because of the constitutional threshold of two-thirds, but I will count on my colleagues opposite who have demonstrated publicly, and I trust that they will not abandon ship because they told the world that they were guided and advised by their constituents,” he stressed.
“They should go back to their constituents, who are really in real hardship because of the pain inflicted by Hon Ken Ofori-Atta on Ghanaians and businesses.
“Ordinary, in any civil democracy, you don’t even need a motion for the Minister for Finance to proceed home. He himself, upon self-appraisal of where he has led the country and the economy to, in all conscience will bow out and save this country and save investment,” Mr. Iddrisu argued.
He continued, “Mr. Speaker, I have between today and 10th November to move the motion and I will move the motion for the censure of the Hon Minister for Finance, Ken Ofori-Atta.
“Those like-minded persons who will want to dance with us, they will be welcome in the secret ballot,” he submitted.
Per the constitutional requirement, about 48 more MPs are needed to give the NDC the necessary majority to censure Mr. Ofori-Atta, but that would imply MPs from the ruling camp ditching the government.
Unseen Hands
Already, the Majority Leader, Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, and his deputy, Alexander Afenyo-Markin, have raised issues that are germane to the censorship motion, including the right of the Finance Minister to be heard during the debate.
Quoting Article 82 to buttress his point, the Deputy Leader raised a fundamental issue of Mr. Ofori-Atta’s right to be heard through a counsel during the debate in defence, noting that in such a situation the issue could not be dealt with at the plenary.
Mr. Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, backing his deputy, also said there appeared to be unseen hands fast-tracking the motion to censure the Finance Minister.
“I would have thought that such a motion will pass through the usual channel, the Business Committee, for members to programme it,” he stated, and added that the committee was not aware of the NDC motion.
“It appears somebody sitting somewhere and directing affairs that this thing should go through. It is from unseen hands. In the fullness of time, whatever must be done to it will be done,” the Majority Leader indicated.
Witches Dance
“The Minority Leader is insistent that we are in a witches’ dance; if we dance forward, we will be losing our father and if we dance backward, we will be losing our mother.
“Who told him that we cannot dance laterally or horizontally without going forward or coming backward? He must define his coordinates well,” Mr. Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu intimated.
He, however, said, “We are in dialogue, talking to see the best way forward. We are not there yet to begin the debate on this (censure motion).”
“We can juxtapose it to the provision in Article 69 Clause 7 of the Constitution which is the removal of the President.”
BY Ernest Kofi Adu, Parliament House