Asante Akim North Member of Parliament, Andy Kwame Appiah-Kubi has used the analogy of the dead person to explain how and why a group of MPs he leads have backtracked for the second time on their call for the immediate dismissal of Minister of Finance Ken Ofori-Atta.
Appiah-Kubi in an interview on Accra-based 3FM said the group of 98 MPs have now seen reason in the need to tow the line of the mother party, the New Patriotic Party, NPP.
Asked about the latest U-turn by his bloc after threatening boycott of the 2023 budget presentation if Ofori-Atta leads it, he said: “I have explained the situation to you, that it is our mother party that is speaking and I have no reason to go contrary to what our mother party has said and this is exactly what I have said.”
He fended off claims that he was particularly being inconsistent with his views over the last few weeks.
“I have not said I agree or not disagree with the position. I have not also been inconsistent, I have been very consistent from beginning till now … the promise I give you is that we would not deviate from the directions of the mother party,” he added.
He restated that the MPs had seen reason to change their position on the budget boycott because they were living and rational beings: “it is only the dead person who doesn’t change his mind and it is only the dead person who does not pay attention to warnings and it is only a dead person who will disregard dangers,” he stressed.
Asked how majority of his constituents will feel with the flip flopping in their position, he replied: “Majority of constituents are also members or sympathizers and supporters of the party, he and mother party must respond to constituents and that will be done in due course.
The MP who has been the face of 98 NPP lawmakers known as ‘Ken Must Go’ MPs in an interview on November 15, 2022, on the PM Express programme on JoyNews, stated:
“Our position has not changed and we still believe Ken Ofori-Atta must go. We will not do the President’s business through Ken Ofori-Atta. Any other person that comes, we will deal with them.”
“The process through the vote of censure will come back to the President with a prayer that he relieves him of his duties. The onus is on the President to sack him or for the Minister to resign. There is nothing personal in our call for his sack. We are not afraid to be victimized,” he added.
The NPP National Executives and Council of Elders met with the Majority Caucus after his threat and a decision was taken that the Caucus unites to support the President’s agenda relative to the 2023 budget – to be presented November 24 – and talks with IMF.
GhanaWeb Excellence Awards nominees reveal video