Minority vowed to vote against approving of 2023 budget if Ministers do not come to Parliament

If the sector ministers do not come before the House, the minority in parliament has vowed to vote against approving the 2023 budget.

They claim that the ministers’ absence indicates that they do not take the work of Parliament seriously.

On Thursday, Haruna Iddrisu, the caucus leader, announced this on the House floor.

He claims that his party would not let deputy ministers to introduce resolutions to approve budgetary allocations.

“When we get to the approval of budget estimates and ministers don’t appear in Parliament by themselves, we will not support the approval of the budget allocations to those ministries.

“Ministers must take this House very seriously, and only those ministers who have been specifically designated by the President to manage the sectors under their ministries may rise from their seats to introduce resolutions requesting funding from this House.

We will have to stand down a lot of those motions if we don’t accomplish that,” he said.

Mr. Iddrisu continued by saying that his group will take its responsibility for oversight seriously and keep the administration responsible.

“We will hold this government accountable, and we intend to strengthen oversight, and it begins with this our decision.

If ministers don’t appear in person to move motions for budget allocations, then they should expect the fiercest resistance from this side of the House.”

Dr. Casiel Ato Forson, the leading member of the Parliament’s Finance Committee, criticized NPP lawmakers on Wednesday, November 30, for forgoing official duties in order to watch the current 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.

The Ajumako Enyan Essiam MP claimed in a tweet that their absence sends the wrong messages to Ghanaians.

“At a time of serious economic crisis, Cabinet Ministers and MPs should not abandon the important business of budget consideration to go and watch football in Qatar!

If ministers don’t appear in person to move motions for budget allocations, then they should expect the fiercest resistance from this side of the House.”

The ranking member of the Finance Committee of Parliament, Dr Casiel Ato Forson, criticised NPP MPs for abandoning government business and traveling to Qatar to watch the ongoing 2022 FIFA World-cup.

Source: Ghanatodayonline.com