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Ghanaian Politics

Ofori-Atta has learnt a bitter lesson – Bagbin on calls for Minister’s head

By : cd on 28 Nov 2022, 01:03     |     Source: myjoyonline

Bagbin Speaker

Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin believes that Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta will take a cue from the ordeal suffered over the past few weeks.

Between a censure motion from the Minority and a decision by the Majority to kick him out of office, Mr Bagbin is sure that Ken Ofori-Atta has picked lessons for the future.

Ghana is currently at the doors of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for a possible $3 billion bailout amidst intensifying hardship, skyrocketing fuel prices, a rising cost of living and a depreciating cedi.

Ghanaians are reeling under this condition and have been calling for a pragmatic solution.

The Minority MPs insist that Ken Ofori-Atta, in this regard, has lost his grip on the country’s economy and must be axed.

Beyond that, majority of NPP MPs in the House are pushing for his removal, triggering crunch-time interventions from the party caucus and President Akufo-Addo.

With all these developments, the Speaker says Ken Ofori-Atta has learnt in a hard and unprecedented way.

“As he sits here, he has learned a bitter lesson. It is uncommon to come across members of your own party rise up in Parliament against your own minister. It’s uncommon,” he said on Sunday .

Members of Parliament will this week debate the 2023 budget statement presented last week and the Speaker of Parliament has a warning for government.

He cautioned government against using sheer bravado to push through their revenue measures, instead he thinks dialogue with the opposition may yield a common ground.

The Speaker says anything other than this will lead to acrimony and conflicts which will not augur well for the economy.

Meanwhile, the House awaits the report from the committee that probed the motion to subject Mr Ofori-Atta to a vote of censure.