By Iddi Yire/Elsie Appiah-Osei, GNA
Accra, May 18, GNA – Parliament has approved 24 Ministerial Nominees of President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo despite a boycott by the National Democratic Congress (NDC) Parliamentary Minority.
Prior to the Minority boycott of the approval of the Ministerial Nominees, Dr Cassiel Ato Baah Forson, the Minority Leader, informed the House that his side did not support the approval of the Ministers Designate because of the difficult times the country had gone through and continue to go through, including crippling employment crisis, food insecurity and dumsor (eratic power outages) and debt crisis as a result of reckless borrowing by the Government to finance construction.
“Mr Speaker, ordinary Ghanaians continue to bite the bullet and businesses are suffering under high tax regime, and a high inflation. Mr Speaker, and again slide depreciation currency,” he said.
“Mr Speaker, in times like this, we expect the Government to signal to the people of Ghana and the investment community that the Government is ready and willing to do things differently restore the needed confidence in our economy.
“Right Honourable Speaker, it cannot be the case that while the Government asked the people of Ghana to tighten their belts, this Government will rather lose their belt.
“Mr Speaker, merely piling up Ministers and Deputy Ministers does not signal to the people of Ghana that the President understands the seriousness of mess that has been created in this administration.”
He said there was the need for the President to down size his Government to signal to the people of Ghana that he cared and that the Government was ready to reverse some of the economic losses.
Mr Alexander Kwamina Afenyo-Markin, the Majority Leader and Leader of Government Business, said the NDC Minority was part of the approval process of the Ministerial Nominees at the Committee level and that the Committee’s report for the approval of the Ministers, which has been laid before the House was by consensus.
“Mr Speaker, only for them to make a last minute turn to say that they don’t want to be part of this, hence the report should be amended to reflect the majority decision. Mr Speaker, that is their right, we’ve granted them. But Mr Speaker, that does not stop, Government from conducting the business of Government and for us to approve these Ministers for them to mount the various Ministries to deliver what is expected of them for the benefit of the people of Ghana.”
Speaker Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin, who congratulated the Ministers Designate on their approval by the House, reminded them that they were both accountable to the President and Parliament.
GNA