The Member of Parliament for Banda Constituency in the Bono Region, Hon Ahmed Ibrahim Hon Ahmed Ibrahim has disclosed that the Minority Caucus in parliament will be moving the motion of censure against the Finance Minister, Hon Ken Ofori Atta, on Thurday, November 10.
According to him, the motion which was filed on October 25, per the constitution is to be debated upon and voted on, after 14 days of its receipt by the Speaker of Parliament. Ahmed Ibrahim, emphasized that the Minority will ensure the removal of the Finance Minister without fear or favour.
“There is a need to embark on this process because the Finance Minister, Hon Ken Ofori Atta, has not been successful in anything he does for the past two years.”
Hon Ahmed
Speaking in a media interview Today, November 7, Mr Ibrahim, noted that the grounds for the Minority’s motion include mismanagement of the economy, alleged withdrawals from the Consolidated Fund, and illegal payment of oil revenues into offshore accounts among other reasons.
“Where we are now, this Finance Minister cannot play the game. I strongly believe that, should we not be able to garner all the votes to make sure that the Minister goes, there is no constitutional provision that states that a motion should be slated once. The Minister has failed and if the President and Majority relent, the earlier we open the gates for him to go, the better.”
Hon Ahmed
Mr. Ahmed Ibrahim disclosed that the Finance Minister has been duly served and will be in the Chamber to defend himself.
I can turn economy around
Meanwhile, the Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta, is fighting to save his job and has called on Ghanaians to trust in his competence and ability to rescue Ghana’s ailing economy.
Speaking at a meeting with the Association of Ghana Industries, Mr. Ofori-Atta noted that Ghana remains the best destination to do business.
“Let me assure you that you have a Finance Minister who has gone through all the pains and the aches, and nobody can really say we don’t understand what we are doing.
The question is what resources do we have and how are we going to deploy them in the nation that we have and how do we stand firm in very difficult circumstances but being very confident? Let me assure you all that your best bet is still Ghana; we can do it, and we should do it.”
Ken Ofori Atta
Hon Ken Ofori Atta for the past few months has become the talk of the town due to his inability to make the economy better. Individuals, institutions and politicians, including members of the Majority Cacaus in Parliament have called for his dismissal.
Ghana has been experiencing economic crisis ranging from the depreciation of the local currency(cedi), increase in petroleum products, hike in foodstuff prices, to the increase in fares.
More than 1,000 protesters marched through Ghana’s capital, Accra, on Saturday, November 5, calling for the resignation of President Nana Akufo-Addo and his cousin, the Finance Minister, Ken Ofori Atta, amid the economic crisis that has hammered the cedi currency and seen fuel and food costs spiral to record levels.
Filing past police in riot gear, the red-clad crowd waved placards and chanted ‘Akufo-Addo must go’ and ‘IMF no’ in reference to the government’s ongoing talks with the International Monetary Fund for billions of dollars to prop up the economy.
READ ALSO: CETAG And CENTSAG to Go on Strike Over Poor Conditions of Service