Finance Minister Kenneth Nana Yaw Ofori-Atta has appealed to Parliament, and the Minority in particular, to “put the nation first and work in partnership to serve the people of Ghana right”.
There has been no love lost between the Minority and the Finance Minister, whose budget in November was initially rejected, the first time in the Fourth Republic.
On Thursday, March 24, when he addressed the nation on the measures adopted by government to tackle the current economic crisis, Mr Ofori-Atta was also being sought in Parliament to answer questions.
The First Deputy Speaker stood in to adjourn his session due to the press conference.
During his address, the Finance Minister admitted that the “unyielding stance” of the Minority against the Electronic Transfer Levy, popularly known as e-levy, has gravely affected investor confidence, a situation that has had dire consequences for the economy.
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He mentioned it as one of the three factors that the government did not see coming. The other two were the delay in the budget approval and the Ukraine-Russia crisis.
Mr Ofori-Atta, therefore, appealed to the Minority to put the country first for government’s expenditure plans to flow.
He insists that the current administration has what it takes to turn things around.
“Ladies and Gentlemen, your Government, the Akufo-Addo administration, is determined to turn things around and has the skills, discipline and compassion to do it.
“But to do so, we must not allow our fortunes to be misdirected by speculators and naysayers – those who only thrive when we allow avoidable uncertainties to hold sway in the affairs of our nation.
“Government will, by this, appeal to Parliament to put the nation first and work in partnership to serve the people of Ghana right.”
But the Minority, in a response to the Finance Minister, took exception to this and insisted that members are rather helping the government in implementing its revenue measures.
“Let it not be repeated that the Minority did not support government in its revenue measures,” Minority Leader Haruna Iddrisu emphasised.
“We did. Only in respect of e-levy that we said the procedurally they were wrong [and] they should not rush it through an urgent motion.”
