In a dramatic turn of events in the hallowed chambers of Ghana’s Parliament, the Majority staged a walkout just as the approval of the 2024 budget was underway.
This has received criticism from the Minority side in Parliament.
Akatsi South Member of Parliament, Bernard Ahiafo, asserted that the Majority did not have their full number hence the decision.
“If you think you have the number why didn’t you have the vote, they do not have the numbers.”
Bernard Ahiafo
Member of Parliament for Zebila East, Honorable Cletus Avoka, expressed dissatisfaction with the Majority’s actions, suggesting that the Speaker should have proceeded with the vote even after the walkout.
Avoka accused the Majority of abusing parliamentary orders and procedures, alleging that their reluctance to participate in the vote stemmed from a fear of losing.
“They didn’t have the numbers and they were afraid that if it went into voting they would lose out.”
Cletus Avoka
The dramatic events unfolded as the Majority expressed discontent with the Speaker’s handling of the session.
Meanwhile, the Majority Leader, Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, shed light on the reasons behind the walkout, pointing out the absence of key members from the Minority during the proceedings.
“Sam George is not here, Zanetor is not here, Mahama Ayariga is not here, so five of their members are not here. All the speaker is doing is to delay the time for their members to come.”
Osei Kyei-Mensah Bonsu
As tensions escalated, Speaker Alban Bagbin had to suspend the sitting to restore order and allow for a resolution to be reached.
This walkout marks the second instance where the Majority has opted to leave during the approval of their budget. The first occurrence took place during the approval of the 2022 budget statement, which introduced the controversial e-levy.
Majority Leader’s Closing Remarks On 2024 Budget Debate
Earlier, during the session, the Majority Leader, Osei Kyei Mensah Bonsu, delivering his closing remarks on the budget, praised the NPP’s performance over the NDC’s, and urged Members of Parliament to approve the budget. He highlighted positive economic indicators, including steady post-pandemic growth, declining inflation, and improvements in the debt-to-GDP ratio.
Honorable Mensah Bonsu enumerated the alleged unfulfilled promises of the Atta Mills-Mahama administration, asserting that their failure to deliver on key commitments did not make them liars. Against the backdrop of such accusations from the Minority, he emphasized the need for a fair and charitable discourse in political discussions.
The Majority Leader also criticized the NDC government’s overspending of the budget in 2012 without parliamentary approval, contrasting it with the criticism the 2024 budget has faced from the Minority. The Majority Leader urged members to “do what is right for God and country” by supporting and approving the motion for the 2024 budget.
“If economic growth is steadily rising after the COVID-19 pandemic… if many standards are being revised up as we are observing, if inflation is going down as we are seeing, if the debt to GDP ratio has climbed down from 105% to 66.5% if the lending rate is currently down if interest rates are tumbling if international reserves are building up if employment opportunities are opening up to Ghanaians if free senior high school program is thriving,…
“Then I as the majority leader and leader of government business should bear witness that the 2024 statement and economic policy presented to this house by the finance minister, Ken Ofori Atta on the authority of the president, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo, is indeed the ‘Nkunim Budget’ in which all of us should be well pleased and stand united to build back better.”
Osei Kyei-Mensah Bonsu
The parliamentary drama leaves the fate of the 2024 budget in uncertainty, with further discussions and resolutions expected in the coming sessions. The rift between the Majority and Minority reflects the further polarization within Ghana’s political landscape.
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