The Majority in Parliament has today November 30, 2021, approved the 2022 Budget Statement and Economic Policy of government presented by Minister for Finance, Ken Ofori-Atta on the 17th of November this year.
This comes following earlier confusion on whether or not the budget had been rejected at Friday’s Parliamentary sitting.
The Majority side accused the Speaker of the House, Alban Bagbin for acting in breach of the 1992 constitution after the speaker claimed that 137 members of parliament had taken a decision to reject the budget, an act that fails the constitutional requirement of 138 MPs present in the house before a decision can be made.
Sitting Delayed
Today’s sitting was delayed for hours by meetings between the majority and minority leadership aimed at exploring how to cure the unconstitutionality committed by speaker Bagbin and the 137 MPs.
The talks have been ongoing in Parliament for several hours in a desperate attempt to build consensus over the rejected budget.
The entrenched positions around the controversial e-levy had been the major dividing issue.
The Minority Caucus demanded a withdrawal of the proposed levy.
But the majority side backed by the Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta, who walked into the meeting around midday had agreed to reduce the proposed levy from 1.75% to 1.5%.
Expunged
Upon a motion by Majority Leader, Hon Osei KYEI MENSAH Bonsu, and a vote by the House, the First Deputy Speaker, Hon Joseph Osei Owusu who chaired proceedings in the absence of the Rt Hon Alban Kingsford Sumana Bagbin, ruled that the earlier decision was in error and in violation of Article 104 (1) and caused it to be expunged from the record.
The Deputy Majority Leader and MP for Efutu, Hon Alexander Afenyor Markin, seconded the Motion moved by Hon Osei Kyei Mensah Bonsu and cited order 13 (2) of the Standing Orders of Parliament to buttress his point that the acting Speaker, Hon Osei Owusu, is "clothed with the power to consider the motion" moved by Kyei Mensah Bonsu.
Rejected, Now Approved
The First Deputy Speaker counted himself as an MP making the Majority Caucus in the House 138 members.
This, he explained gives them the numbers to pass the 2022 Budget.
Parliament then proceeded to properly consider the motion on the budget and subsequently approved it.
Parliament will now consider the budget estimates in the coming weeks for specific sectors of the economy before the appropriation bill will be passed to give the government the green light to spend according to monies appropriated in the budget.
Finance minister Ken Ofori Atta in winding up the debate highlighted how government will accommodate the concerns raised by the Minority in the approval of estimates, revenue bills and appropriation.
Source: Peacefmonline.com
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If there were 138 MPs according to Joe Wise, then the decision to approve the budget was done without a Speaker.
Ghana is becoming interesting under nana Addo, one one draw. In the absence of the 'majority' the 'minority' rejected the budget. In the absence of the 'minority' the 'majority' approves the budget. NPP is in power but the NDC is dictating the pace. If you have a president who forgets that his position is an elected one and instead of listening he thinks what ever he says must be obeyed this is the results you get. Akuffo Addo's insistence that he prefers Mike Ocquaye as speaker even though age was having a telling effect on him against the wishes of the NPP MP's is what has brought about this embarrassment. The fact is all NPP MP's voted for Akuffo Addo to be president, he Akuffo Addo didn't vote for all the NPP MP's to come to parliament. Today NPP is having challenges in parliament, infact we will see more controversies in the coming years. If you have arrogant, selfish, greedy people in the helm of affairs, this is what happens. This couldn't have happened under Kufuor, no way. Kufuor would have handled this issue silently from behind the scenes. Anyway we are watching
Never use supreme court to reverse majority illegality to reverse.When Bagbin arrives,and a day in parliament when NDC HAVE MORE MPS, A MOTION IS FILE AND WIICKLY SIBJECT TO VOTE.THE BOGUS INTERPRETATION OF ARTICLE 104 WHICH SAYS NO OF MPS PRESENT AND VOTED NOT ENTIRE 285 MEMBERS.GENERATION MAY NOT FORGIVE BAGBIN IF BOGUS INTERPRETATION IS NOT CORRECTED.NOBODY SHOULD GO TO SUPREME COURT TO SET ASIDE JOE ***barred word*** INTEEPRETATION.USE SAME TAKASHII...NDC SHOULD NOT RUSH TO FILE A MOTION TO REVERSE THE ILLEGAL REVERSAL . COUNTING DEPUTY SPEAKER AS A MEMBER OF THE HOUSE TO MEET THE SO CALLED PRE CONDITION. GOD WILLING IF BAGBIN ARRIVED, LET THEM FILE A MOTION TO OVERTUNED THE BUDGET . IF A MOTION IS FILLED TO MAKE ONE DECISION ILLEGAL, ANOTHER MOTION CAN BE FILED. TO REVERSE ILLEGAL DECISION. THE CONSTITUTION SAYS A QUORUM, AND OUT OF THE QUORUM OF PEOPLE PRESENT , MAJORITY OF MP PRESENT MUST DECIDE NOT THE BOGUS INTERPRETATION . MINORITY SHOULD NOT WORRIED THEMSELVES TO GO TO SUPREME COURT. DO THE NEEDFUL IN PARLIAMENT TO REVERSE THE APPROVAL IF BAGBIN COMES