The leader of the Minority group in Parliament, Haruna Iddrisu, has asked the government to change aspects of the 2022 budget statement and resubmit to Parliament for approval.

Until those changes are made, he said, the budget which has been thrown out would not be revisited in the same form in which it came.

A statement he issued on Monday November 29 said “The NPP Majority Leadership should appreciate that this is a new Parliament; a hung Parliament.

“Those days of the NPP Majority bullying the Minority because of their ‘excess’ numbers are over. But with the nature and character of this new Parliament with its near equal numbers (137+1377) calls for broader and thorough consultation to secure the best national interest for the good of the Ghanaian people.

“We hope the NPP government will do what is right and proper when considering a revised budget. The NPP Government should critically take on board the view of the Minority and sentiments of the Ghanaian populace and bring a Budget that is acceptable and address the issues of the general public.

The NDC Members of Parliament has no approving a Budget that addresses the generality of the concerns of the Ghanaian people.”
His comments come after Parliament rejected the 2022 budget statement presented on behalf of President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo by his Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta, on Wednesday, November 17.

The Majority members had staged a walkout during proceedings on Friday, November 26 but that did not stop the Speaker, Alban Bagbin, from ruling on the motion.

He had given a five-minute break for the Majority members to resume their seats.

But after the time elapsed, Speaker Bagbin ruled that the budget has been rejected after the members present overwhelmingly shouted ‘No’.