Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta
Martin Amidu speaks about budget rejection
NDC approved Ofori-Atta for easy win in 2024
Parliament reconvenes today Tuesday 30, 2021
Former Special Prosecutor, Martin Amidu, has opined that the minority in parliament failed to save the country when it backtracked on its earlier resolve not to approve the Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta.
According to him, the minister would not have been in the position he occupies to draft the 2022 budget statement which according to him (Amidu), imposes hardship on Ghanaians if the Members of Parliament representing the National Democratic Congress (NDC) had not betrayed the citizens.
“There are jubilations on the minority side for the rejection of the 2022 Budget Statement with minimum demands also made as conditions precedent for the approval of a new anticipated 2022 Budget Statement and Policy to be laid again in Parliament by the Government for consideration before the expiration of the Appropriation Act for 2021 Budget year. But we the people know that without the betrayal we suffered at the hands of a former NDC Minister of Finance, the National Executive of the NDC and its leadership in Parliament, the Minister of Finance, Ken Ofori-Atta, will not have been in any position to inflict any hardship on Ghanaians through a draconian 2022 Budget Statement and Policy,” he said.
Martin Amidu further noted that the rejection of the 2022 budget statement as presented by the Finance Minister was the minority’s strategy to redeem its image.
“What happened on 26th November 2021 with the rejection of the 2022 Budget Statement was only the first redemption by those who shamefully let this country down on 29th March 2021 when they joined in approving this Minister of Finance nominee by consensus in a voice vote for appointment despite outstanding queries at his vetting” he observed.
Ken Ofori-Atta faced a two-day vetting before Parliament’s Appointments Committee following his return from the United States of America (USA) after suffering from post Covid-19 complications.
The minority at the time said they were not satisfied with his responses thus were unwilling to recommend him for approval.
However, by a sudden turn of events, Ken Ofori-Atta was approved by consensus.
NDC’s General Secretary, Johnson Asiedu Nketia, justified the approval saying that the party intends to capitalize on the economic mismanagement of the minister to score political points and win the 2024 elections.
“The party even held several meetings and concluded that we shouldn’t split hairs about Ofori-Atta’s approval. We believe that he is a lame-duck Minister at this stage. So if the government wants a lame-duck Minister, they should have him. His work will make it easier for us to win the election, so we should let him go. That was the party’s position that was communicated.”
“In this particular case even after the decision had been taken, I could see that a lot of our MPs found it very difficult to contribute. They didn’t want to be associated with any process to approve Ofori-Atta”, he said on Citi TV’s “Face to Face” on March 31, 2021.