‘Insisting to stay is like a mark of disrespect to the public’ – Muntaka on Finance Minister
Minority Chief Whip, Mohammed Muntaka Mubarak, says should the Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta insist on staying after the vote of censure, it will be considered a mark of disrespect to the general public.
The Minority Chief Whip who is optimistic the vote of censure expected to take place on Thursday, November 10, will lead to the ousting of the Finance Minister said he is counting on the votes of dissenting members of the Majority caucus to see their action come to fruition.
According to him, the Finance Minister cannot continue to be allowed to manage the economy. It is time for someone else to take over the mantle and fix the problem, he said.
“You cannot continue to drive a car when you have burst the tyre, you have broken the engine, you have smashed the screen, you have smashed a lot of things, you were reckless with not making sure there was water to keep cooling the car, then all of a sudden you say that ‘o, give me another opportunity, I’ll fix all the problem’.
“It is better to let go, let another person take over, so that the person will be able to fix the problems. Insisting to stay, for us, is like a mark of disrespect to the public,” he said on JoyNews’ PM Express.
He noted that while Members of the Majority caucus have been urged not to vote against the Finance Minister, he is confident the use of the secret ballot will allow them the freedom to express their will without fear or favour.
“And for us in the Minority we believe that we need to carry on and push as hard as we can with hope that our colleagues opposite, yes people might have spoken to you, but one advantage you have in the constitution, and I believe that the framers of our constitution were very certain that when it comes to removing somebody from office or putting somebody in office, the best way to do it is through secret ballot. And you saw secret ballot produce Speaker Bagbin.
“I’m very hopeful that yes, in 1999 on the same date 10th of November 1999, there was a vote of censure on Kwame Peprah even though it didn’t succeed because the then majority which was our side had a huge number so they first amended the motion and it didn’t succeed.
“I am confident we were never able to elect a Speaker from the opposite, we were able to do it through secret ballot , I’m very confident we’ll make another history by using secret ballot to remove a sitting Minister,” he said.
Meanwhile, the New Patriotic Party has directed all members of the Majority caucus to abstain from the scheduled vote of censure to remove the Finance Minister.
In a statement signed by the General Secretary of the Party, Justin Kodua Frimpong, he directed that the “the leadership of the Majority Caucus especially the Whips are to ensure that no Member of the Majority Caucus partakes in this exercise by the Minority Group in Parliament.”
He noted that while there are genuine concerns to be addressed concerning the position of the Finance Minister and his role in Ghana’s economic management, it would be counter-productive if the Majority caucus joined the Minority side in ousting the Minister.
“The leadership of the NPP wishes to assure our Members of Parliament and the Ghanaian populace that there are ongoing internal engagements aimed at addressing legitimate concerns expressed by various stakeholders regarding the management of the economy, including the calls for the resignation or dismissal of the Minister of Finance.”
source: myjoyonline.com
