The Member of Parliament (MP) for Asante Akyem North, Andy Appiah Kubi, has indicated that the New Patriotic Party MPs who are against the Finance Minister’s continuous stay in government have backed down on their decision.
According to Mr Appiah Kubi who is the spokesperson for the group of 80 MPs who are calling for the removal of Mr Ken Ofori Atta for his poor performance in handling the country’s economy, the members’ decision is to allow the party’s position to prevail over the group’s.
Initially, the MPs determined to boycott the Minister should he be the one to present the budget statement to Parliament which is slated for Thursday, November 24, 2022.
The mother body and the majority group leadership subsequently called on the protesting group to rescind their decision and work together with others in the House as one caucus unit.
In a statement issued on November 22, 2022, to the caucus by Mr Frank Annoh-Dompreh and Mr Justin Kodua who are the Majority Chief Whip and General Secretary of the Party respectively, the leadership instructed the members to “attend all government businesses in the House, including, in particular, the 2023 budget statement and Economic Policy and all connected matters.”
But in a response to the decision of the party and the majority caucus leadership following a meeting held on the evening of Tuesday, November 22, 2022, Mr Appiah Kubi said they would be present in the House because they are allowing the “party’s position prevail upon all interests and positions”.
He explained in an interview granted 3FM monitored by Angelonline.com.gh that “it was our position not to entertain him [Ken Ofori Atta] but the mother party has intervened. The mother party has instructed and has issued a position and indeed the position is that let us not discriminate against anybody who is selected by the president.”
Responding to the question of how the group’s backtrack would be contrary to the desires of their respective constituents, the legislator said the “majority of my constituents are also members of the party or sympathizers of the party or supporters of the party for which reason i won on the ticket of the party and therefore it is for me and my party to find a way to respond to the expectations of my constituents and we will do that religiously when the time comes”.
