We got it wrong getting Ofori-Atta to be Finance Minister – Ricketts-Hagan

Cape Coast South Member of Parliament Kweku George Ricketts-Hagan, has said that getting Mr Ken Ofori-Atta to serve as Finance Minister was a wrong decision taken by Parliament.

His comment was after a Professor at the University of Ghana, Ransford Gyampo said he was disappointed in both the Minority and Majority for allowing the Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta to present the 2023 budget when they have all raised issues against him for which they wanted him out of office.

Prof Gyampo said the lawmakers failed to appreciate the mandate given to them by Ghanaians in holding the executive accountable.

Speaking on the Key Points on TV3 Saturday November 26, he said “I’m disappointed with the Minority group, Majority group, both of them, they have failed. They don’t seem to appreciate the mandate given to them by Ghanaians in 2020 elections that effectively gave a hang parliament.

“We have a minority that came out to say Ken Ofori-Atta was not fit for purpose and so many things surrounded him make them believe he is not somebody they can approve to be Finance Minister they said it openly, yet when they had the opportunity to vote, apart from one or two of them on the appointments committee, the rest of them voted in full support of the very person they said they won’t support.

“Fast forward, this same Minority group, they told us they have a lot of charges against him for that reason the censure motion, they had opportunity to interact with him through the committee and I was expecting they will be able to nail him with the questions but if you look at it, they probably did not have their firm grasp of the issues because some of the questions, you expected them to ask follow up questions to nail him.”

Speaking on the same whos, Ricketts-Hagan who is also a former Deputy Finance Minister said “We got it wrong getting ken Ofori-Atta to serve as Finance Minister. There was a divided decision on that, eventually a collective decision was made and we still think it was a wrong decision.

“It is not entirely fair to indicate that we have all failed. We may have but not on the same magnitude.”

By Laud Nartey|editors.3news.com|Ghana