Disappointed by the tagging of government’s 2016 budget statement as a “dead goat” budget by the minority in Parliament, President Mahama has suggested there is no need to debate it. The Minority MPs during Last Friday’s presentation, flashed sheets of papers with the inscription “dead goat budget” immediately after Mr. Seth Terkper, the Finance Minister, concluded his delivery. The Minority Leader, Osei Kyei Mensah-Bonsu, seconding a motion moved by the Majority Leader Alban Bagbin to bring Friday’s proceedings to a close said, “In seconding the motion, I just want to observe that the Finance Minister’s presentation was full of perspiration but very little inspiration. A trust-betrayed budget; a dead-goat budget offering no relief to Ghanaians” he stated.
The house will return from recess on Friday November 20, to continue the business of the house which will include a debate of the budget. However President Mahama is of the view that debating a “dead goat budget” is of no use. He said this at a rally in Tamale over the weekend as part of his tour of the Northern Region.
“The Finance Minister says I am coming to present the budget on behalf of the President as well as the financial policy for 2016; and he comes and he starts reading the budget and even before he finishes, people are holding placards with the inscription “dead goat budget.” He continued, “It means they had made their minds before they even came to sit there. So I wonder if they even listened; I don’t think they did because they had printed dead goat budget and were hiding the placards under their seats. So their mind is made up about the budget already so why should there even be a debate about the budget; because there is no way they will ever find anything good in that budget. But that budget is meant to stabilize this economy and that’s exactly what we are doing,” he emphasized. The “dead goat” phrase became synonymous with President Mahama, after he made the comment to suggest that he was not moved by criticisms about his performance any longer. Government spokespersons and communicators of the incumbent National Democratic Congress (NDC) have repeatedly attempted explaining the phrase saying the president’s comment was misinterpreted.
Source – Citifm
