Accra, July 09, GNA-Dr Kwabena Donkor, former Minister for Energy has called on Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta to resign for another person to lead the country’s team towards the negotiations with the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
According to him, the Finance Minister’s comment some few weeks ago that the country would never seek an IMF bailout and having gone to the IMF, duty and honour require that he steps down.
Dr Donkor said: “Having categorically stated a few weeks ago that this country would not go the IMF and haven’t gone to the IMF, duty and honour requires that he steps down.
“He has come to the end of the road; I have a lot of respect for him as a person, but the national interest requires that he resigns for another captain to lead the team towards the negotiations with the IMF other than that this country would be negotiating from a position of weakness.”
Dr Donkor made the call when he addressed a press conference in Parliament House, Accra, demanding that the Finance Minister “does the right” thing by tendering in his resignation.
He insisted that the Finance Minister must resign to give the President a free hand to choose somebody to lead the delicate negotiations.
He said the country had gotten to a level in its political development that ministers must begin to take responsibility for their actions.
Dr Donkor explained that Mr Ofori-Atta could still act as an advisor for the Government of Ghana in the negotiations with the IMF, but not as Minister for Finance because of his earlier posture that Ghana would not go the IMF.
“When a Minister says we will never deal with the IMF and he is dragged unwillingly before the court of public opinion to go and negotiate with the IMF, he will be negotiating from a serious position of weakness and this country would not get the best out of these negotiations,” he added.
Dr Donkor also called on Parliament to intervene in the matter by asking the finance minister to tender-in his resignation, if he refuses resign on his own accord.
“If Ken Ofori-Atta does not resign, I believe the Parliament of Ghana must keep faith with the people of Ghana and the people of Ghana deserve better than this. Parliament has the power to ask him to go and Parliament must act,” he said.
GNA