The coming days, will show whether President Nana Akufo-Addo, is truly in-charge of his government or it has collapsed with ministers doing things on their own, including abandoning debate on the 2023 budget in Parliament to cheer the Black Stars in Qatar.
In the face of a hanged Parliament and directive that no Member of Parliament (MP) and indeed, minister should travel out of country unless permitted by the Chief of Staff, Akosua Frema Opare, no one expected to see the Minister for Communications and Digitalisation, Ursula Owusu-Ekuful and the Energy Minister, Mathew Opoku Prempeh, having fun at the World Cup, but was the case.
But, while that of the Energy Minister, Mathew Opoku Prempeh, is quite surprising, Ursula Owusu-Ekuful, is not as she has been protesting her removal from the Akufo-Addo cabinet since 2021, when it was reconstituted after the 2020 election.
The powerful minister was booted out from the cabinet by President Akufo-Addo, over what the President saw as her “unruly behaviour” during sessions and needed to clip her wings, despite their closeness.
A critical agency like the National Communication Authority (NCA) was also snatched from her and the board reconstituted to report directly to the President. The change at the board level which brought in Lawyer Isaac E. Osei-Bonsu, eventually led to the reinstatement of some suspended radio stations, particularly Accra-based Radio Gold.
Ursula Owusu-Ekuful’s presence in Qatar to enjoy the World Cup tournament, coincided with the commissioning of the NCA’s Broadcasting Monitoring Center (BMC); a state-of-the-art surveillance centre to crack down on unlawful broadcasting activities in the country.
The high-tech centre is to help enforce compliance sanitizing the radio and television broadcast sectors, dominated by illegal trends and harmful broadcasts influencing crime; something Ursula Owusu-Ekuful, has been passionate about, but her absent from the inauguration last Tuesday, November 29, 2022, to many has been surprising.
Interestingly, a technical advisor at the Office of the Vice President, Dr Kabiru Mahama, has joined Ghanaians in condemning the ministers and NPP MPs, who abandoned parliamentary work to cheer the Black Stars in Qatar, describing the development as insensitive.
Parliament on Tuesday, November 29, started the debate on the 2023 budget, which is considered crucial to the government’s efforts to reach an agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for a bailout.
Less than 30 NPP MPs were in the Chamber to participate in the Budget debate. Already, the President has lost Parliament as some 95 MPs belonging to the ruling party, are demanding for the removal of the Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta or else they won’t participate in any government business.
Speaking on the Big Issue on Citi TV/Citi FM, Dr Mahama, said President Akufo-Addo would be appalled by the lack of critical reflection by the MPs.
“I am sure that this is something the President will be very appalled at because the Members of Parliament are expected to sit through the debate of the budget.
“That exercise of discretion by the cabinet ministers involved in this particular case was exercised without critical reflection on the situation because nothing justifies the fact that you are in this situation, and you go to Qatar to cheer the Black Stars.”
