Discerning listeners of Joy FM have expressed their disappointment in the Majority Caucus’ decision to allow Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta to stay in office till after the negotiation with IMF is done.
About 80 New Patriotic Party (NPP) parliamentarians on Tuesday demanded the sacking of Mr Ofori-Atta as Finance Minister.
The MPs argued that the continuous stay of Ken Ofori-Atta in office is delaying the IMF bailout the country was seeking due to the fact that the Minister has lost all credibility.
They had thus petitioned the President to either remove him or face a boycott in Parliament.
But barely a day after their ultimatum, the Majority acceded to President Akufo-Addo’s appeal to allow Mr Ofori-Atta to continue to be at post.
Per the press statement released by the Majority Leader, Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, 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.”
The discerning listeners are however dissatisfied with this recent development.
Calling into the Super Morning Show, listeners said the move flies in the face of the democratic credentials of the country.
“I am very disappointed in the Majority Caucus for backing down on their demand to remove Ken Ofori-Atta. I just started getting some hope that we have a good democracy but if this is the case, then they are useless,” one angry caller said.
“The President is not aware of the anger out there, if the President were to be aware he would never keep Ofori-Atta in the office. Everyone is asking the same thing, why can’t the President listen? Why is he still keeping Ofori-Atta?”
“Ken Ofori-Atta has lost everything that is called credibility, this was a man who repeatedly said Ghana doesn’t need IMF. And to be honest, Ghana doesn’t need Ofori-Atta to lead this negotiation.”
Following these series of events, the callers now hope that the Minority will succeed with the motion of censure against the Finance Minister to get him removed.
“Now the Majority is not willing. The President has managed to convince them not to do what they want to do. So if possible the Minority should go ahead with the vote of no confidence for us to see what will happen,” Newman said.
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