Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa has filed a memorandum to the Business Committee of Parliament in connection with the delayed response of the Finance Minister to provide cost on President Akufo-Addo’s recent trip to Europe.
The Member of Parliament’s memorandum was occasioned by the Finance Minister’s excessive delay in responding to the Parliamentary writ. The Finance Minister was originally scheduled to appear before Parliament on 17 June 2021 but he requested an extension which now seems to be in perpetuity.
Speaking to Metro TV’s Dr. Randy Abbey, Friday, July 2, Okudzeto Ablakwa said he was forced under the circumstances to file the memorandum because “As you know the business committee is a committee of parliament that schedules ministers and carries out the larger function of programming the business that parliament conducts for the weeks.”
Okudzeto Ablakwa stated that the chairman of the business committee has the responsibility of briefing members on the program of the house for the coming weeks.
“Every end of the week, if we are sitting on a Friday or the weekends on a Thursday depending on what is happening on a Friday, the business statement is presented to the chairman of the business committee to provide notice to honorable members of parliament on the business for the ensuing weeks,” he said on Good Morning Ghana Friday.
He indicated that the business committee is to ensure that once the Speaker accepts his question both of them must work together to get matters related to the question resolved.
“The business committee is responsible for ensuring that when the RT. Honorable Speaker has admitted a question, they proceed to carry out their duties under our standing orders to program that question in relation to this particular matter in issue,” he noted.
The former Deputy Minister noted that his questions accepted by the Speaker of Parliament have to do with the cost of a luxurious private jet rented by the President and the state of the country’s presidential aircraft.
“To settle the matters, two questions were filed one to the Minister responsible for Defense to respond to the state of the presidential jet, the Falcon EX900, and whether the Presidential Jet is air-worthy. Then the second question filed on the same day was directed at the finance minister to provide the full cost of the President’s recent travels to France, Belgium, and South Africa,” he added.
By: Ernest Tetteh Kabu | Metrotvonline.com | Ghana
