Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin has cautioned that the legislature will not beg for its budgetary allocation from the executive i.e. the Ministry of Finance, as has been the practice.
In a pre-budget presentation comment he made on Accra-based Joy FM last Tuesday, November 16, Bagbin said he will not tolerate the status quo and that allocations must be effected as they are done for all other state entities.
“Even Parliament itself after the approval will have to go cap in hand, begging the Ministry for the release of its own budget estimates. There is no way that I will tolerate that. No.
“We won’t go to the Ministry of Finance to beg for the release of our estimates. It must be done like it is done for others,” he stressed.
He continued: “so it is refreshing to note that the issue that we are raising here today particularly dealing with public goods and services is so crucial at this time, where the people of Ghana are looking up to us for hope.”
The budget statement for the year 2022 was presented by Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta on Wednesday, November 17, 2021.
There was a delay in the advertised time presentation by two hours even when the house was packed. When the speaker the leaders eventually entered the chamber, Bagbin explained that some differences had held them up in the conclave.
“Your leadership and my good self have grave differences with the Ministry of Finance, the presentation will be done today but as we go along, we believe that there will be enough time for the differences to be ironed out smoothly.”
