The Member of Parliament (MP) for Asante Akyem North, Andy Appiah Kubi, has said that the demand by the majority caucus in parliament to sack the Finance Minister, Ken Ofori Atta, and the Minister of State at the Finance Ministry, Charles Adu Boahen, does not amount to a betrayal of President Akufo-Addo.
According to him, it would rather be in the country’s best interest to remove Mr Ofori-Atta from office.
Addressing a press conference in Parliament on Tuesday, October 25, Mr Appiah Kubi, who introduced himself as the spokesperson for the Majority MPs, said, “We are unhappy with the developments in the country. We consulted our constituents, who also expressed the same sentiments”.
“We want the President to remove Ken Ofori-Atta and Charles Adu Boahen.
“We are by this medium communicating our strong desire that the President changes the Minister of Finance and the Minister of State in the Finance Ministry without further delay.
When asked by journalists if their action does not betray the President after he recently reposed confidence in his ministers, Mr Appiah Kubi emphatically said:
“This is not a betrayal”.
He further indicated that 80 per cent of the NPP lawmakers support this call.
The majority caucus in parliament is calling for the dismissal of the Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta, and the Minister of State at the Finance Ministry, Charles Adu Boahen.
He warned that the majority would also not approve the 2023 budget statement if the President fails to heed their request.
“We want to serve notice, and notice is hereby served that until such persons as aforementioned are made to resign or removed from office, we members of the Majority Caucus here in parliament will not participate in any business of Government by or, for the President by any other Minster.
“We hope that those of us in the back bench and members of the Majority caucus will abide by this prayer.
“We are saying that if our request is not responded to positively, we will not be present for the budget hearing, nor will we participate in the debate,” he declared.
There have been several calls from Ghanaians, including opposition parties, some CSOs and other critics, for the President to sack the Finance Minister, Mr. Ofori-Atta, as the nation grapples with harsh economic conditions.
But responding to calls for Ofori-Atta’s head, President Akufo-Addo, in an interview on Kumasi-based OTEC FM, said he cannot turn his back on the Finance Minister because he’s been excellent on the job.
“I came to office in 2017 under a stringent IMF programme. This same man was able to manage the affairs of our economy in such a way that in the first four years of my first term, we were one of the fastest-growing economies in the world, with an average growth rate of 7% a year from the beginnings of an IMF programme.”
“An economy that allowed us to initiate the Planting for Food and Jobs programme. So somebody who has been able to do that and the current economic difficulties are not his fault. So how do I do that (sack him)? What will be the basis? What will be the rationale?”