Andy Kwame Appiah-Kubi, a spokesperson for Members of Parliament on the Majority Caucus who are demanding the dismissal of Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta, insists they will not participate in the 2023 Budget hearing and passage if Mr. Ofori-Atta is not kicked out.
Mr. Appiah-Kubi, the Member of Parliament for the Asante-Akim North constituency, does not think Ken Ofori-Atta is as indispensable as he is being portrayed to be.
“If he is not there, can’t others present the budget? No one is indispensable. We have completely lost confidence in him because, in the 2022 Budget, he [Ofori-Atta] promised that with an E-levy and Property Rate, there will be no need to go to the IMF for support… As we speak now, that has not happened, and the property rate is even yet to take off.”
“We are not convinced that it should be Ken Ofori-Atta and nobody else. It is our political decision that Mr. Ofori-Atta must go for the collective interest of the NPP,” he added.
Mr. Appiah-Kubi reiterated that his group still stands by the position that the vote of censure being spearheaded by the Minority side would not yield any results since, after that move, they will still need to appeal to the President to remove him.
He maintains that the majority MPs are not demanding Ofori-Atta’s removal on grounds of economic mismanagement, but because Ghanaians have lost confidence in him.
Mr. Ken Ofori-Atta is expected to present the 2023 Budget Statement of government to Parliament on Thursday, November 24, 2022
