The minority in parliament has accused their opposing caucus, the majority side of running away during a voting exercise to approve the 2024 budget statement and economic policy.
In a statement giving account of events in the legislative house on Wednesday, November 29, 2023, the minority said the majority caucus abandoned their own budget sensing defeat after the speaker had granted a request by the minority for a headcount instead of an earlier voice vote.
“The Majority Caucus on Wednesday runaway from the government’s 2024 bugdet statement and economic policy, sensing defeat over its failure to rally its numbers for parliamentary business. The Speaker of Parliament had earlier stated that his voice vote had been challenged under order 113 (2) of the Standing Orders of Parliament.
“The Speaker put the question for a voice vote twice and stated that in his opinion ‘the ayes have it’. This opinion was subsequently challenged by the Deputy Minority Leader, Hon. Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, citing order 113 (2) of the Standing Orders. Order 113(2) calls for a head count of all Members of Parliament present and voting.
“The Speaker then ruled on the motion that the application was in order and that head count
should commence. It was at this point that Majority Members, sensing defeat, started packing, fled the chamber and abandoned their own budget, leaving only the NDC Minority Caucus to carry on with parliamentary business,” the minority’s statement noted.
According to the minority, the speaker suspended sitting for a while and later adjourned to Thursday.
“As it stands now, the 2024 budget has not been approved.
“Throughout the budget debate, the NDC Minority Group insisted that it cannot support the government’s new taxes because the poverty level in the country is just too high and this will put an extra burden on already suffocating businesses,” the minority added.
The caucus emphasised that it cannot lend its support to the budget.
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File photo of parliament's chamber