Speaking at a press at parliament on Tuesday, October 25, 2022, the Ranking Member on the Finance Committee of Parliament, Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson, said that the only reason the minority has not initiated a process to remove Dr. Bawumia from the EMT, as it has done for Ken Ofori-Atta, is because it is not legally possible.
He said that even though the Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta, is responsible for the running of the country’s finances, he reports directly to the vice president who has failed in his supervisory role.
Ato Forson added that Dr. Bawumia resigning as the head of the EMT will help stabilise the Ghana cedi, thus the economy of Ghana.
“The vice president must be made to step aside as chairman of the Economic Management Team because he has failed woefully. He does not qualify to call himself the chairman of the Economic Management Team.
“Unfortunately, parliament does not have the right to censure him on that grounds. If not, we will have gone after him first.
“I am saying that the finance minister obviously is the head of the management of the economy as long as the finance ministry is concerned but he reports to the vice president. So, the vice president has failed in his supervision, he has failed in the work that he has been mandated to do. So, he has no business to sit in that office and call himself chairman of the Economic Management Team,” he said.
The minority caucus of parliament has filed a motion to have Ken Ofori-Atta sacked.
The MPs explained that their position follows several concerns over the poor management of the economy, which has forced the government to seek IMF assistance.
The Deputy Minority Chief Whip, Ahmed Ibrahim, noted “as representatives of the people and as duty bearers, we must move a motion to call for the end of the finance minister.
“Our brothers in the majority believe in this. What they should do is to support the call of the Minority Leader and the motion for the Minority Leader for the dismissal of the finance minister.”
Watch Ato Forson’s remarks below:
You can also watch this episode of People & Places on GhanaWeb TV:
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