The New Patriotic Party (NPP) yesterday begun a crunch meeting of party stalwarts, government and parliamentarians to find solution to an impasse which, if not resolved, is likely to lead to an implosion in the party.
National Chairman, Stephen Ayesu Ntim is urging calm amongst the rank-and-file while both party and government dialogue to find a lasting solution to what appears to be bad blood between some parliamentarians and government with the finance minister, Ken Ofori Atta, at the centre of the controversy.
“The leadership of the Party, herein, reiterates its commitment to at all times, engage Government on issues of utmost interest and concern to the Party, Government, and the citizenry,” Stephen Ayesu Ntim stated in a press release he signed yesterday for urgent release.
The NPP statement was against the backdrop of some Members of Parliament who are part of the Majority Caucus’ call for the dismissal of the Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta, and the Minister of State at the Finance Ministry, Charles Adu Boahen.
The group led by Andy Kwame Appiah-Kubi, the Member Asante-Akim North Constituency, who introduced himself as the spokesperson for the over 80 disgruntled Majority MPs said, they decided to speak out after several concerns sent to government have failed to yield any positive results.
According to the group, sacking Ofori-Atta and Adu Boahen will help restore confidence in Ghana’s economy.
the Member Asante-Akim North Constituency MP addressing the press in Parliament House yesterday said “The recent development within the economy is of major concern to our caucus and our constituents. We have made our grave concern to our president through the parliamentary leadership and the leadership of the party without any positive response.”
“We are by this medium communicating our strong desire that the president changes the Minister of Finance and the Minister of State at the Finance Ministry without further delay in order to restore hope to the financial sector and reserve the downward trend in the growth of the economy,” he added.
Mores so, eighty-eight (88) Members of Parliament on the Minority side were signatories to a motion for a vote of censure on Ken Ofori-Atta, the Finance Minister, filed on Monday.
The Minority cites the overall mismanagement of the economy and ethical concerns, among others. The motion was filed a day before Parliament resumed from recess.
The grounds the Minority cites for the vote of censure are the:
- Despicable conflict of Interest ensuring that he directly benefits from Ghana’s economic woes as his companies receive commissions and other unethical contractual advantages, particularly from Ghana’s debt overhang.
- Unconstitutional withdrawals from the Consolidated Fund in blatant contravention of Article 178 of the 1992 Constitution, supposedly for the construction of the President’s Cathedral:
- Illegal payment of oil revenues into offshore accounts, in flagrant violation of Article 176 of the 1992 Constitution:
- Deliberate and dishonest misreporting of economic data to Parliament 5. Fiscal recklessness leading to the crash of the Ghana Cedi which is currently the worst-performing currency in the world:
- Alarming incompetence and frightening ineptitude, resulting in the collapse of the Ghanaian economy and an excruciating cost of living crisis;
- Gross mismanagement of the Ghanaian economy which as occasioned untold and unprecedented hardship
Stay tuned.
