Former Minister for Central Region, Kwamena Duncan, has slammed the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Members of Parliament calling for the dismissal or resignation of Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta and Charles Adu Boahen, Minister of State at the Finance Ministry.
The MPs have signed a petition demanding the heads of the two Ministers and threatened to boycott Parliament if the President fails to heed their request.
MPs' Demands
“If our request is not responded to positively, we will not be present for the budget hearing, neither will we participate in the debate”, the MPs said in an address to the press on Tuesday.
Also speaking in an interview with Kwami Sefa Kayi on Peace FM's "Kokrokoo" morning programme, Member of Parliament for Subin constituency, Eugene Boakye Antwi asserted that if the President refuses to "remove Ken, he should add Parliament to the Execuitve and rule Ghana with Ken Ofori-Atta".
He chided President Akufo-Addo for being strong-willed in his resolve not to sack the Finance Minister.
"We are running a democracy not a family dynasty...we are not backing down, why should we back down?...we have many competent and experience people in this party and in parliament to do the job that Ken Ofori-Atta is doing...if he likes we can nominate one but that is not the issue," he said.
"If Ken Ofor-Atta dies won't there be somebody to step in as Finance Minister?" he rhetorically asked.
Kwamena Scolds NPP MPs
Kwamena Duncan, discussing the matter on Peace FM's morning programme, was utterly unhappy with the behavior of the NPP MPs.
He wondered at what point did the MPs realize that Mr. Ken Ofori-Atta is incompetent, so now demanding his resignation or dismissal.
"Are you saying that the four-year period that Ken Ofori-Atta was the Finance Minister, you never saw him as incompetent?...This was the same man who led the finance machinery to ensure our re-election. Was he not or is he not?", he asked.
To him, the MPs are holding the President to ransom.
" . . linking it to the fact that if the President doesn't do their bidding, they will no longer carry on with their parliamentary business, what does that mean? You are holding the President to ransom."
He further blasted them for publicly showing no confidence in the Finance Minister, saying they should have had rather sought audience with the President behind closed doors.
"If they wanted a meeting with the President, I am wondering how if they had gone on to insist, they were not going to get one from the President. What would have been better? That, look, you meet the President and speak to him passionately that, Mr. President, this is how we feel. Now, you do this in public and then you give a condition that if the President doesn't do that, you will not attend upon your parliamentary business, you hold the President to ransom," he fumed.
"This period is a very critical period that if there was anybody that should be seen to be showing sympathy, it is you," he added.
The former Minister also berated the MPs asking should the President heed their call, "what else will you not do the next time?"
Kwamena Duncan offered an advice to the NPP MPs saying, "individuals go through crisis. Communities go through crisis. And if a nation were an individual, a nation goes through crisis...This is a stormy period of the voyage, a rare stormy period of the voyage, but we need to rally together...Who told you that the Lord who saw us through 82 and indeed saw us through 2014 will not see us through today? He will!...This is not the time to be doing finger-pointing".
Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana
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