Minority Leader Haruna Iddrisu has deplored what he described as an unprecedented walkout by the Majority group in Parliament to save face and cover up their lack of numbers on the day to approve the government’s 2022 Budget.
He warned that this cannot be the practice in Parliament going forward for a party controlling the House to abandon business because it is not sure it has enough members in the Chamber to have a decision in its favour.
He argued the development was more striking because it is the Majority that challenged the ruling of the Speaker on the voice votes and proceeded to request for division and stressed to abandon it is to set a new toll.
“Fortunately for us, nobody can add any additional provisions to the 1992 Constitution. There is no room for it so that that it is now going to be the case of practice in Ghana that when I’m not sure of my numbers in the Chamber, I walk out.”
“That cannot be part of parliamentary practice. We are master of our own procedures,” he stated.
The Minority leader addressed the media Friday night after Parliament in the absence of the Majority group proceeded to reject the Motion for the approval of the 2022 Budget.
According to him, the Minority had previously presented its concerns to the Minister of Finance, which include the request to stand down on the E-Levy for further discussion and consultation in order to appreciate what it means for electronic payments and transactions.
“We also stated strongly our solidarity with the victims of the tidal wave in Keta. We drew his attention to the paragraph on Agyapa in the budget and a paragraph on fees and charges.
“We quite clearly demonstrated that fidelity to the law is an onerous responsibility of the Minister of Finance,” he added.
The Minority leader noted that the Finance Minister could have stood down the E-levy and get the rest of the Budget with adjustments and assurances approved and stressed, “That would have been better for them than this runaway.”
The Majority, he said, cannot run away from its own budget and run away from its own request for division.
According to him, the Minority has reflected the wishes and aspirations of the Ghanaian public and can state the E-levy is a disincentive to the development and growth of a digital economy and affect businesses.
