Deputy Minority Whip and MP for Banda, Ahmed Ibrahim has stated that the Minority side in Parliament will not be giving a sane environment for the budget reading if President Akufo-Addo fails to notify the house that Hon Osei-Kyei-Mensah Bonsu will be reading in Ken Ofori-Atta’s stead.
“It’s not as if we have issues with Hon Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, we know he is more than qualified to present the budget on behalf of His Excellency the President but we are creature of law as a house of Parliament. We are being governed by rules and regulations and our rules of procedures have clearly stated that the person to present the budget should be the Minister of Finance on behalf of the President”, Mr Ibrahim told Valentina Ofori-Afriyie on Class91.3FM’s mid-day news programme 12 Live on Thursday, 11 March 2021.
“But the budget presentation is a process. It follows government policy and economic policy and tax laws and all those things. All those laws and all those motions must be moved by a minister and that minister is the Minister of Finance.
“So, if Hon Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu is coming to present the budget, in what capacity is he presenting it under our standing orders and in what capacity is he going to move the motion for the tax laws and policies? So, the president must give him that mandate”, he argued.
He explained that it is just a letter and a statement that the President will issue to say that the Minister of Parliamentary Affairs is now the Acting Minister responsible for Finance and he should present the budget on his behalf until the substantive minister comes. Period”.
“What is the President afraid of, to give that power of attorney to Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu? If you know he’s qualified, give him the mandate?” he wondered.
He warned: “If that doesn’t happen, I don’t think there will be sanity in Parliament to present it tomorrow”, stressing: “Parliament is not a lawless institution. We operate with laws and, therefore, the Speaker must be given that respect”.
GhanaFeed.com
