Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta may face an unprecedented situation if he disregards calls for his resignation and attempts to present the budget on Thursday.
Both majority and minority members are likely to abandon the Chamber making it impossible for him to have the constitutional quorum required to proceed with the budget presentation.
Mr. Ofori-Atta last week told JoyNews he will present the 2023 budget despite facing a censure motion moved by the Minority to oust him. Worst still, 98 Members of Parliament from his own political party, the New Patriotic Party, who are on the majority side also want him removed.
According to him, he has not been officially notified not to read the budget.
“Yes, I expect so. I haven’t heard that officially (NPP MP’s opposition) so I expect to read it,” he told Joy News.
But the 98 NPP MPs have taken an entrenched position and have therefore threatened to boycott the budget presentation if Mr, Ofori Atta is still in charge.
“We’ve gone back to (our demand for the President to) sack him now and therefore should the budget be presented under the stamp of the Finance Minister, we’ll not participate because as far as we’re concerned we’re never going to do business with him”, said Asante Akim North MP and spokesperson for the disenchanted Majority MPs, Andy Appiah-Kubi.
“And if we’re not going to do business with him, he does not participate in any process from the Presidency to the House. We will not participate in deliberations too,” the NPP MP said.
“We’re not saying we won’t do President’s business. We’re saying we won’t do President’s business through Ofori-Atta. So if anybody else comes with President’s business, we’ll participate,” he explained.
Meanwhile, Ranking Member on Parliament’s Finance Committee, Dr Cassiel Ato Forson also insists the Minority side will not recognise the Finance Minister.
“The President had the option to either sack him or per the censorship motion or otherwise but the key question is, if he fails to sack him, Parliament can also fail to recognise him.”