The Parliamentary Service has descended on the Majority Leader and Minister for Parliamentary Affairs, Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, for his recent attacks on the Speaker over the impasse as regards the 2022 budget statement.
A statement issued by the Public Affairs Directorate of Parliament on Friday noted that the picture the Majority Leader seeks to paint is “erroneous”.
This comes in the wake of pronouncements by the Suame lawmaker that Speaker Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin is to blame for the rejection of the budget presented on Wednesday, November 17 by Ken Ofori-Atta. That decision was, however, overturned less than a week later.
Addressing journalists on Thursday, December 23, Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu said the Speaker had threatened to influence the rejection of the budget if about 2 percent of government’s total revenue is not allocated to Parliament.
“This is a complete misrepresentation of what transpired at the meeting,” the Service said on behalf of the Office of the Speaker in its statement.
“It is not the duty of the Speaker to reject or approve budgets. Approval or rejection is determined only by Members of Parliament.”
It explained that a budget even has two parts – expenditure and revenue.
“The expenditure has gone through the required parliamentary processes. What is outstanding is the revenue.
“The picture that the Majority Leader sought to paint with his comments is therefore erroneous.”
The statement justified the Speaker’s call for enough revenue for the Service to continue its oversight responsibility.
“It is interesting that instead of the Majority Leader supporting the efforts to ensure adequate budgetary provision for Parliament to which he belongs, he chose to nail his mast with the executive to starve Parliament of the required funds to operate effectively.”
It concluded that the Speaker “has no intentions to do anything that will jeopardise the forward march of this country.”
By Emmanuel Kwame Amoh|3news.com|Ghana