General Secretary of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) Johnson Asiedu Nketia has commended Minority Members of Parliament for the way they handled the 2022 budget statement.
He said the opposition lawmakers stood on the side of Ghanaians to reject the budget.
“I will commend our MPs that so far they have stood on the side of Ghanaians and have exercised that power fully.
“In fact, if I knew that it was permissible to infiltrate and vote, I would have descended from the public gallery to come and make the number 138.
“So they (NDC MPs) have done their part. Now, there is confusion as to whether the budget has been accepted or rejected. We are still fighting that and they are pursing every legal method to ensure that the principals of the budget will be rejected,” he said at the NDC public forum on the 2022 budget on Wednesday December 8.
His comments come after the Majority Caucus were reported to have walked out of the chamber on November 26 due to his presence.
The Majority in Parliament staged a walkout after the Speaker of Parliament Alban Bagbin directed Ministers of State who are non-lawmakers to leave the chamber to enable MPs to take a division vote on whether to postpone the vote on whether the Finance Minister should be allowed to engage the House further on November 26 2021.
Meanwhile, the Majority Chief Whip says they left because of the Speaker’s threat to eject the Finance Minister.
Speaking on Saturday, December 4, 2021 edition of TV3’s The Key Issues news analysis show, the Tolon MP they were offended at the order issued by Mr Alban Bagbin. “Let people not think or assume that we walked out that day because of Asiedu Nketia, I am telling you as a leader from the Majority side, we walked out because when the Speaker said that the Finance Minister should leave or he will invoke the Marshalls on him, that is when we were offended.
“Because the Finance Minister was in the House pursuant to Article 111 of the Constitution… that a Minister who has presented a document on behalf of the president, that is the budget statement, comes and pleads with the Speaker … to be able to engage both sides.
By Laud Nartey|3news.com|Ghana