{"id":1235165,"date":"2022-10-26T14:14:27","date_gmt":"2022-10-26T14:14:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2022\/10\/26\/minoritys-vote-of-censure-for-kenmustgo-yet-to-be-accepted-by-speaker\/"},"modified":"2022-10-26T14:14:27","modified_gmt":"2022-10-26T14:14:27","slug":"minoritys-vote-of-censure-for-kenmustgo-yet-to-be-accepted-by-speaker","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2022\/10\/26\/minoritys-vote-of-censure-for-kenmustgo-yet-to-be-accepted-by-speaker\/","title":{"rendered":"Minority’s vote of censure for #KenMustGo yet to be accepted by Speaker"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>\n

\n\"Minority's<\/p>\n

\nIbrahim Ahmed (4th from left), First Deputy Minority Whip, addressing journalists in Parliament <\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

The<\/span>\u00a0Minority in Parliament\u00a0<\/span>has filed a motion of\u00a0<\/span>censure to remove the\u00a0<\/span>Minister of Finance, Ken\u00a0<\/span>Ofori-Atta, over the current\u00a0<\/span>state of the economy.<\/span><\/h2>\n

The motion was filed by the Minority\u00a0<\/span>Leader, Haruna Iddrisu, at the office of\u00a0<\/span>the Speaker, Alban Bagbin, Tuesday (October 25, 2022) but\u00a0<\/span>it is yet to be admitted by the Speaker.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Minority has, therefore, urged\u00a0<\/span>their counterparts in the Majority\u00a0<\/span>Caucus to throw their weight behind the\u00a0<\/span>motion when it is laid to garner the 183\u00a0<\/span>Members of Parliament (MPs) needed to\u00a0<\/span>push for the Finance Minister\u2019s removal.<\/span><\/p>\n

Motion <\/strong><\/p>\n

The motion seeks to invoke article 82\u00a0<\/span>of the Constitution which provides for\u00a0<\/span>the elaborate procedure of removing a\u00a0<\/span>Minister of State through proceedings in\u00a0<\/span>Parliament.<\/span><\/p>\n

If the motion is admitted, the\u00a0<\/span>Minister of Finance will be the second\u00a0<\/span>minister in recent times to have such a\u00a0<\/span>motion filed against him, following that\u00a0<\/span>of the Minister of Health, Kwaku\u00a0<\/span>Agyeman-Manu, which is still pending\u00a0<\/span>in the House.<\/span><\/p>\n

Context<\/strong><\/p>\n

Addressing journalists at the\u00a0<\/span>Parliament House Tuesday, the First\u00a0<\/span>Deputy Minority Whip, Ibrahim Ahmed,\u00a0<\/span>said when the Business Committee met\u00a0<\/span>last Monday, the Minority Leader\u00a0<\/span>indicated to the Majority Leader and the\u00a0<\/span>Chairman of the Business Committee,\u00a0<\/span>Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, that he was\u00a0<\/span>going to proceed with a motion to\u00a0<\/span>remove the Finance Minister from office.<\/span><\/p>\n

He said the move was based on the\u00a0<\/span>poor economic management,\u00a0<\/span>inconsistencies, non-performance and\u00a0<\/span>the failure to perform statutory\u00a0<\/span>obligations.<\/span><\/p>\n

He, therefore, expressed shock at the\u00a0<\/span>move by the Majority Caucus to hold a\u00a0<\/span>press conference to call on the President\u00a0<\/span>to dismiss Mr Ofori-Atta.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe Minority Leader told the\u00a0<\/span>chairman of the Business Committee,\u00a0<\/span>Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, that as the\u00a0<\/span>representatives of the people, we must\u00a0<\/span>move a motion to call for the head of the\u00a0<\/span>finance minister.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSo, if our\u00a0<\/span>brothers in the\u00a0<\/span>Majority believe\u00a0<\/span>in this, what they\u00a0<\/span>should do is to\u00a0<\/span>support the\u00a0<\/span>motion by the\u00a0<\/span>Minority Leader\u00a0<\/span>for the removal of\u00a0<\/span>the Finance\u00a0<\/span>Minister,\u201d he\u00a0<\/span>said.<\/span><\/p>\n

Why\u00a0President\u2019s\u00a0not sacking\u00a0minister? <\/strong><\/p>\n

Mr Ahmed,\u00a0<\/span>who is also the\u00a0<\/span>MP for Banda,\u00a0<\/span>described the\u00a0<\/span>press briefing by\u00a0<\/span>the Majority as\u00a0<\/span>long overdue\u00a0<\/span>since they failed\u00a0<\/span>in the past to act.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSo, it should not be the Majority or\u00a0<\/span>the Minority coming to make a press\u00a0<\/span>conference.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIf we have 137 Minority and 137\u00a0<\/span>Majority plus one and both sides believe\u00a0<\/span>that the Finance Minister is killing the\u00a0<\/span>economy and, therefore, he must go, it\u00a0<\/span>should not be difficult to mobilise 183\u00a0<\/span>MPs to dismiss or to reshuffle him if the\u00a0<\/span>President is failing to do that,\u201d he added.<\/span><\/p>\n

Reaction<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/strong>Earlier Tuesday, some Majority\u00a0<\/span>Members of Parliament (MPs) in a press\u00a0<\/span>conference asked President Akufo-Addo\u00a0<\/span>to remove the Finance Minister, Mr\u00a0<\/span>Ofori-Atta, and the Minister of State at\u00a0<\/span>the ministry, Charles Adu Boahen, from\u00a0<\/span>office now to help restore confidence in\u00a0<\/span>the economy.<\/span><\/p>\n

The group said\u00a0<\/span>it would not do\u00a0<\/span>business with\u00a0<\/span>government if the\u00a0<\/span>president failed to\u00a0<\/span>heed their call.<\/span><\/p>\n

Spokesperson,\u00a0<\/span>Andy Appiah-Kubi,\u00a0<\/span>NPP MP for Asante\u00a0<\/span>Akim North, said\u00a0<\/span>that members of\u00a0<\/span>the majority would\u00a0<\/span>not participate in\u00a0<\/span>any government\u00a0<\/span>business, including\u00a0<\/span>the budget hearing\u00a0<\/span>until their\u00a0<\/span>demands were met.<\/span><\/p>\n

Reacting to the\u00a0<\/span>said motion, the\u00a0<\/span>Deputy Majority\u00a0<\/span>Leader, Alexander\u00a0<\/span>Kwamina Afenyo-<\/span>Markin, said\u00a0<\/span>currently there was\u00a0<\/span>no motion before\u00a0<\/span>the house because\u00a0<\/span>it had not been admitted by the Speaker.<\/span><\/p>\n

“This amounts to throwing dust into\u00a0<\/span>the eyes of Ghanaians,” he said.<\/span><\/p>\n

Mr Afenyo-Markin, who is also the\u00a0<\/span>MP for the Effutu Constituency in the\u00a0<\/span>Central Region, said the entire world’s\u00a0<\/span>economy was in crisis and that it would\u00a0<\/span>be wrong to attack the minister.<\/span><\/p>\n

“Even almighty UK is struggling and\u00a0<\/span>people are paying more for basic things\u00a0<\/span>and mortgage,” he said.<\/span><\/p>\n

The MP said the government had\u00a0<\/span>taken steps to address the situation by\u00a0<\/span>going to the International Monetary\u00a0<\/span>Fund for a solution, saying, “The\u00a0<\/span>situation is not easy but I urge all of you\u00a0<\/span>to have faith.”<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n