Addressing a brief press conference in parliament on Thursday, January 26, 2023, the Member of Parliament for Ajumako Enyan Esiam stated that among the things he intends to do as leader, is to unite the caucus.
He then outlined his three roadmaps, starting with a stern warning to the New Patriotic Party (NPP), as well as the President of Ghana, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.
“I will focus the next month to tackle three things. First, I wish to, first of all, send a message to the NPP that the people of Ghana are calling on them to downsize their government to reflect the mood of the country. You are asking people to forgo their coupons or interests, you are asking the ordinary Ghanaian to sacrifice their payout, and so therefore if His Excellency the president intends to reshuffle his government, let it be known that we in the NDC will not accept an attempt to increase the size of government,” he said.
Cassiel Ato Forson also sent a caution to the president to ensure that he does not increase his government size, adding that should that happen, such new additions will be resisted by the Minority.
“And if the current size of his ministers increases by one, that one person may not receive our cooperation. And in the end, we also wish to assure the people of Ghana that, as part of our engagement with the Finance Committee and the Health Committee, we have agreed to do public hearing on the audit of the COVID-19 expenditure beginning on the 7th of February, 2023. At that point, we will pay due diligence to the duties given to us by the people,” he added.
The Minority Leader concluded by indicating that they will embark on a roadshow across the country to educate Ghanaians on the impact of the current economic challenges.
“And then finally, we will also embark on a roadshow where we will galvanize the people of Ghana and educate them on what this economic crisis is going to take us through,” he said.
Cassiel Ato Forson takes over from Haruna Iddrisu as the Minority Leader, while Kwame Governs Agbodza is the new Minority Chief Whip.
Emmanuel Armah Kofi Buah will be the new Deputy Minority Leader, while the two deputy Minority Chief Whips, Ahmed Ibrahim and Comfort Doyoe Cudjoe-Ghansah, have been retained.
AE/BB
Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson is the Minority Leader in Parliament