Contrary to rumours and assumptions that President Akufo has yet remained adamant in the face of agitations from some majority MPs for the removal of Finance Minister, Mr. Ken Ofori- Atta from office, unimpeachable information available to the New crusading GUIDE indicates that the minister will not go beyond the six-week extension as agreed by the President and the aggrieved MPs.
Although there have been suggestions that the fuming MPs might have been talked out of their earlier stance after a meeting with the president, facts available indicate that the lawmakers agreed to pipe down, following an assurance from the President that Mr. Ofori Atta’s tenure will not exceed a stipulated six-week period, which covers the first round of IMF talks, presentation of the budget and its attendant appropriation bill.
The MPs maintain that the six weeks would be enough time to cover all the aforementioned activities both in Parliament and on the IMF front.
As per the Financial Performance Act, the budget statement is expected to be presented to parliament, no later than November, 16.
Readers would recall that Parliament was greeted with a series of mild drama when sitting resumed last Tuesday as legislators from both sides of the House initiated moves for the removal of the now careworn finance minister from post.
Some NPP MPs, numbering about 80, held a press conference to impress on the President to relieve his cousin of the responsibility of managing the nationalkitty or risk losing their support for government business going forward.
“Notice is hereby served that until such persons as aforementioned are made to resign or removed from office, we members of the Majority caucus here in parliament will not participate in any business of government by or for the President [or] by any other minister,” the group threatened.
However, on the heels of meeting at the Jubilee House, a source close to the presidency, hinted that the MPs reached a gentleman’s agreement with the president on the way forward which included, granting Mr. ofori Atta, a six-week contract extension to enable him to submit his budget in November and subsequently go through with the appropriation, as required of him.
This concession by the MPs has been misconstrued as bad fate as critics accuse them of engaging in some in shrewd bargaining to advance their own interest against the larger interest of their constituents.
But one of the MPs who spoke to this paper explained that, despite their grievances which have been made public, the president as the leader of their party needed to be accorded every respect. He said they were confident that the president would stick to his words.
Meanwhile, Dr Charles Wereko-Brobby has argued that the 80 NPP MPs who demanded the removal of Mr Ofori-Atta have joined the group of politicians who have lost their credibility.
He explained that this is because they failed to execute their mission to the letter.
“The people who originally issued this statement said that the Finance Minister has lost credibility and, therefore, this was affecting the discussions and pace of the outcome of the negotiations.
“The whole statement was premised on the need for change now. So the recent statement has now added them to those who have lost credibility.
“People don’t understand that it is not the Fund that is telling us what to do. We have to present a credible programme that they can add their credibility to it to ensure that others can see us as credible.
“So the complete U-turn for me is nothing but shameful. They have joined the group of incredulous politicians and the incredulous Executive,” he stated on Thursday.
But the Executive Director of IDEG, Dr. Emmanuel Akwetey, was of a different view.
According to him, President Akufo-Addo is in a very difficult position given the fact that it is his party leading the request, thus, it was important for the President to negotiate with them.
On the other hand, Majority Leader, Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bons has disclosed that the Minister of Finance will stay “until the conclusion of the round of negotiations with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the presentation of the Budget Statement and Economic Policy in November 2022 and the subsequent passage of the Appropriation Bill after which time the demand will be acted upon.”
