The Minority in Parliament has rejected plans by government to increase government machinery personnel by 1,570 people.

The group says this number is contained in the 2023 budget statement.

The Minority said it is unacceptable to increase government machinery staff to 3,681 at a time when there is an announced freeze on public sector employment.

The passage of the budget remains critical to the fortunes of the government in its quest to secure an International Monetary Fund (IMF) bailout.

At a press conference in Parliament, the Minority led by its leader, Haruna Iddrisu also threatened to withdraw from the budget process if the Majority side does not show commitment towards the budget

“We also strongly denounce plans to increase the staff strength of personnel at the office of the Government machinery by 1,570, at page 230 of the 2023 budget. If you are reducing the size of government, I’m not narrowing it to elephant size of government of ministers, but even at the level of administrative and supporting staff at the presidency, which is captured under the budget of the office of the government machinery, which they are proposing to increase to 3,681, there can be no justification for this, and we will not accept this,” the Minority Leader said.

Again, the Minority group wants the government to shelve plans of building the National Cathedral, which has received a budgetary allocation of 80 million cedis.