According to Mr Pratt, the decision to offer a guard of honour to the minister ostensibly for his management of the economy amidst chanting and praise singing is insulting to the Ghanaian people.
“Ghanaians are not that gullible. Ghanaians know what is good for them, they can assess their standard of living; they know whether this budget is good or bad and it doesn’t take this useless demonstration to convince anybody.
"Whoever put this together must have a very low opinion of the Ghanaian people. Whoever put this together must think that we the people of Ghana have no brains and it is this insult I detest most.
"This is most insulting; clearly unacceptable. And the minister is happy?” he questioned on the Wednesday, November 22, 2023, edition of Good Morning Ghana on Metro TV.
After his presentation of the 2024 budget dubbed “Nkunim” (Victory) budget, the minister’s convoy pulled up to the premises of the ministry with staff lined up awaiting his arrival.
Amidst clapping and cheering, the minister alighted from his car beaming with smiles.
However, according to Kwesi Pratt, it was rather a childish act forced on the civil servants which did not receive deep thinking.
“What is wrong with us? In fact, to be honest the thing which I find most distasteful is the fact that somebody or some people believed that this childish demonstration in front of the Ministry of Finance will convince the people of Ghana that their lives are better today than it was before.
"How did anybody think so low of the Ghanaian people? How did anybody think that we were so gullible that if you get forty people to stand in front of the Ministry of Finance and sing the praise of the minister the budget will be accepted?” he questioned.
GA/SARA
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Kwesi Pratt and Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta