It’s not the duty for Speaker to reject, approve budget - Parliament

Speaker did not threaten to reject budget - Parliament

Majority Leader comments a complete misinterpretation of what transpired in the meeting

Majority Leader’s statement is erroneous

Parliament has refuted claims by the Majority Leader, Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu suggesting that the Speaker threatened to reject the 2022 budget if two per cent of the total revenue of the country was not allocated to the work of parliamentary service.

According to the statement, the comment is a “complete misinterpretation” of what transpired at the meeting adding that it’s not the speakers’ duty to approve or reject budget.

“The Office of the Speaker of Parliament has taken notice of comments by the Leader of the Majority Group, Hon. Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, on an Accra-based television station in the late hours of Thursday, December 23 2021.

Hon. Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu claimed that the Rt. Hon. Speaker threatened to reject the budget if two per cent (GHS 1.72 billion) of the total revenue of the country was not allocated to the work of the Parliamentary Service. He suggested that was why the budget was rejected. This is a complete misrepresentation of what transpired at the meeting. It is not the duty of the Speaker to reject or approve budgets. Approval or rejection is determined only by Members of Parliament.” The statement indicated.

The office also described the Majority Leader’s statement as erroneous as the only part of the budget left is the revenue.

The statement also indicated that it is right for the Speaker to lobby for enough funds for the effective administration of the institute of parliament.

“Besides, a budget has two parts: expenditure and revenue. The expenditure has gone through the required parliamentary processes. What is outstanding is the revenue. The picture that the Majority Leader sought to paint with his comments is therefore erroneous.”

The Public Affairs Directorate also indicated that there is nothing wrong with a speaker lobbying for enough funds for the effective administration of parliament.

“…It must be stated that the Rt. Hon. Speaker, as the Leader of Parliament, which includes many other departments under the Parliamentary Service, has every right to lobby for enough funds for the effective administration of the institution of Parliament.

Indeed, in strengthening Parliament's oversight and independence of the executive, which the R. Hon. Speaker has been pursuing, denial of the requisite funds is the quickest means by which the executive can make the legislature ineffective. That was what the Rt. Hon. Speaker sought to prevent at the said meeting.

It is interesting that instead of the Majority Leader supporting the efforts to ensure adequate budgetary provision for Parliament to which he belongs, he chose to nail his mast with the executive to starve parliament of the required funds to operate effectively."

Below is the statement: