Minority Leader and Member of Parliament for Ajumako-Anyan-Esiam constituency Dr Cassiel Ato Baah Forson has refuted claims that his side deliberately set out to sabotage government business on Wednesday, March 20, 2024.
Contrary to accusations of sabotage by the majority caucus in Parliament, the minority leader emphasized that no government business was slated for discussion on the said day, explaining that there was no record of advertised tax waivers or businesses typically associated with the government as purported by the majority caucus. Instead, the sole business that the House tabled to discuss was International Development Agreements (IDAs), specifically a loan facility.
“It’s important for people of Ghana to understand that both minority and majority at business meeting last week, agreed that parliament was going to rise sine die, that’s yesterday. And we agreed that we intend to close early and that understanding was reached.”
“It was our understanding that the outstanding business will be taken even if that businesse have been advertised, there are reports to back them. We started and the only business outstanding is the IDAs which has to do with a loan facility”
“I was surprised to hear that the majority leader and some NPP MPs are saying the finance committee had met on it and the report was ready, when was that” the bewildered minority leader said when he called into Good Morning Ghana Show on Metro TV hosted by Dr Randy Abbey on Thursday, March 21, 2024.
The Majority Caucus in a press release issued on Wednesday March 20, 2024, castigated the Minority for backing Speaker of Parliament Alban Sumana Bagbin’s move to suspend the approval process for Ministers and Deputy Ministers of State. Which move the majority saw as an attempt to deliberately impede the government’s operations.
But the Minority Leader insisted the decision to take only the programmed business of the day was mutually understood by both sides at a previous meeting, that only outstanding businesses, including those previously advertised, would be addressed.
“The tax waiver they (majority) talked about was not table before finance committee and not before parliament so therefore there was no report to be presented to the plenary. So, there was no business and majority was creating an impression that, the speaker of Parliament for some interesting reasons decided to sabotage government business. Simply put the government had no business for the day”
He also raised concerns over past loan facilities which were approved and received but alleged misuse by the government. Notably, he pointed to a lack of transparency surrounding a $449 million loan that government took, which the Minority had raised objections to, adding that although the majority’s claims of a ready report by the Finance Committee about the loan exists, Dr Forson asserted that no such documentation had been presented before Parliament.
He underscored the need for accountability and pledged to await the proper presentation of reports on the said loan upon Parliament’s resumption. Hinting revelation of alleged corrupt practices dating back to 2017, thereby signaling a forthcoming expose on what he described as “corrupt practices” within the current administration.
“The loans were not ready because we have raised serious questions and we think is a corrupt deal and must not make it way to parliament. I’ll wait for the report to come to parliament when we resume and Ghanaians will see the extent of corrupt practices that have gone on in this administration since 2017…it stinks and is bad”
By: Bright Yao Dzakah | Metrotvonline.com | Ghana
