Things got a bit heated between the Majority Chief Whip, Frank Annoh-Dompreh and broadcaster Johnnie Hughes during a social media debate over the censure motion against Ken Ofori-Atta and the ongoing Domestic Debt Exchange Programme.
Annoh-Dompreh who is the Member of Parliament for Nsawam Adoagyiri had earlier sent a caution to the Finance Ministry to review its decision to include individual bondholders in the DDEP.
“The Finance Minister (Ministry) must as a matter of urgency review ASAP its decision and resolution on individual bondholders. I don't agree with them and I think it's unfair and untenable!” he tweeted.
His tweet courted the attention of Johnnie Hughes who reminded the lawmaker that the situation could have been avoided if the majority caucus participated in the voting on the recommendations by the committee that probed the censure motion against Ken Ofori-Atta late last year.
“But Chief Whip @FAnnohDompreh, you and your colleagues had the chance to save us all through a simple secret ballot in Parliament after that Appiah-Kubi led presser asking for the head of KOA. What happened? Did you fail the people? Who whipped who in line?” he quizzed.
But Annoh-Dompreh exhorted Johnnie Hughes’ mind to the fact that his post is only relative to the issue of the individual bondholders and not nothing more.
“I am concerned about a specific matter!.. Don't get it wrong!”, he tweeted in reply.
Johnnie Hughes maintained his course of reasoning and posed another question to Annoh-Dompreh “please did you fail the people? Who whipped who in line?”.
At this point Annoh-Dompreh gave a response considered harsh by the journalist.
“I am not ready for your 'street' politics!.. We have a matter to deal with! Seek to understand who I am and stop this! I am not interested in your arguments. As far as I am concerned, Ken has erred this time, and it must be corrected,” he retorted.
It created some banter that went on for some time until the two men called a truce.
TWI NEWS
Annoh-Dompreh has not hidden his aversion to the decision by the Ministry of Finance to include individual bondholders in the DDEP.
He believes that there could be dire repercussions on the middle class and the financial sector if the plans outlined by the finance ministry are adopted.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Finance has extended the deadline for the DDEP with a promise to engage extensively with stakeholders.
This would be the third extension since the programme was launched on December 5, 2022.
In a tweet sighted by GhanaWeb Business, the Ministry of Finance noted that the extension was due to pending further stakeholder engagements with institutional and individual investors who were recently invited to join the debt exchange programme.
“Building consensus is key to a successful economic recovery for Ghana,” a tweet from the Finance Minister’s office said.
