Budget rejection: PaFFAG sends strong message to Minority MPs

The Patriotic Forum for Accountable Governance (PaFFAG) has lashed out at the Minority in Parliament over the rejection of the 2022 budget.

According to the group, though Parliament has the legal mandate to reject or accept any policy proposal that comes before it, it must be done in the spirit of patriotism, statesmanship, and nationalism.

In view of this, before Parliament will consider approving or rejecting the
2022 budget, the Ghanaian value of nationalism must be paramount and not partisanship.

Parliament on Friday rejected the 2022 budget which was presented by the Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta.

Though the Majority was not present to participate in the exercise, the Speaker said their absence could not prevent the House from proceeding with the business of the day.

But addressing a press conference, PaFFAG argued they cannot fathom how a party that touts itself as a social democrat will do so.

“I am very much surprised why the Minority MPs and the NDC fraternity which is known to be a social Democratic Party which must be seen supporting economic and social interventions to promote social justice within the framework of a liberal democratic state should jubilate over a supposed budget rejection,” part of a communique issued after the conference read.

To PaFFAG, the NDC and the Minority intend to use their numbers in Parliament to inflict pain on Ghanaians by resisting the 2022 economic Policy statement otherwise known as the budget on flimsy grounds.

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“It is clear that the Minority in Parliament is playing cheap politics with a subject matter that seeks to affect the heart of almost all Ghanaians.

“As a matter of fact, the Speaker of Parliament, who is also a social democrat and a card bearing member of the NDC, is reluctant in ensuring the right thing because the Finance Minister Hon Ken Ofori-Atta rejected the request of the Speaker to allocate Gh¢1.7 billion of taxpayer’s monies to Parliament alone,” he said.

Read the full statement below:

Press Conference Addressed by Patriotic Forum for Accountable Governance by Gertrude Otchere on Scribd