Addressing journalists, the Minority Leader, Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson, said the 2024 budget was still hanging, and its approval would once again be defeated today.
The Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, declared a voice vote in favor of the majority on the approval of the economic policy and budget statement presented by the Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta to the house on Wednesday.
However, the Minority opted for a headcount, forcing the Majority caucus to stage a walkout on the approval process.
Addressing journalists after the walkout by the Majority, the Finance Minister said, “At the end of the day, the Speaker put it to vote twice, and he declared that the ‘ayes’ have it. That means the budget, in my view, has been passed. Later, there was a challenge, which has not been resolved. So far as I know and believe, we have the 2024 budget passed until such time that they resolve whatever they want to resolve.”
The Majority Leader, Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, who expressed fury about the Speaker’s actions, pointed out, “You were all there; you heard the Speaker loud and clear. Why should a Speaker beat such a hasty retreat from what he has said? In this case, he said the ‘ayes’ have it. Then you have the Speaker making a sudden U-turn that he didn’t add that the ‘ayes’ have it. He just expressed an opinion. And that’s most unfortunate. So, we think that the proper thing should be done.”
“We agreed to the headcount; what was he waiting for? For about 30 minutes, he was not doing anything. What kind of attitude is this? That is why we left the chamber. Five MPs of the Minority were not here, so all that he was doing was to buy more time to enable them to find a way into the chamber.”
The Minister of Finance, Ken Ofori-Atta presented the 2024 budget policy document in Parliament on November 15, 2023.