Minority to move vote of censure against Ken Ofori-Atta this week
A vote of censure against under-fire Finance Minister Ken Ofori –Atta which is being pushed by the Minority Caucus is scheduled to be moved this week, the caucus has hinted.
The Minority caucus has been of the view that the Finance Minister’s performance has been below par following the economic crises Ghana is currently reeling under coupled with some alleged withdrawals from the Consolidated Fund and alleged illegal payment of some revenues into offshore accounts are some of the reasons they want the Finance Minister out of office.
Also, the Minority Chief Whip in emphasizing that their stance is non-negotiable said “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”.
The reason why the Minority feels a vote of censure against the Minister is justified include:
- Despicable conflict of interest ensuring that he directly benefits from Ghana’s economic woes as his companies receive commissions and other unethical contractual advantages, particularly from Ghana’s debt overhang.
- Unconstitutional withdrawals from the Consolidated Fund in blatant contravention of Article 178 of the 1992 Constitution, supposedly for the construction of the President’s Cathedral:
- Illegal payment of oil revenues into offshore accounts, in flagrant violation of Article 176 of the 1992 Constitution:
- Deliberate and dishonest misreporting of economic data to Parliament 5. Fiscal recklessness led to the crash of the Ghana Cedi which is currently the worst-performing currency in the world:
- Alarming incompetence and frightening ineptitude resulted in the collapse of the Ghanaian economy and an excruciating cost of living crisis;
- Gross mismanagement of the Ghanaian economy which has occasioned untold and unprecedented hardship
The Majority on the hand wants the Minister to be afforded the opportunity to at least speak on the issues levelled against him for which he is wanted out of office.
