Finance Minister, Kenneth Nana Yaw Ofori-Atta has indicated that the government has a budget despite the Majority walkout from the House during the approval.
During proceedings in Parliament to approve the 2024 Budget statement and Economic Policy of government Wednesday, November 29, 2023, sitting was suspended abruptly after the Majority caucus staged a walkout.
This was after the Minority caucus had challenged the Speaker’s call for a voice vote to approve or reject the budget.
But the Minority, who disagreed with Speaker of Parliament said rather than a voice vote, the budget must be approved with a head count.
This decision did not go down well with the Majority MPs who walked out of the house.
Addressing the media, the Finance Minister said since the Speaker indicated that the Is have it after calling for a voice vote.
“I think we have just witnessed a situation where the Minority Leader gave their closing statement, the Majority also did and then I had some concluding remarks. At the end of the day the Speaker put it to vote twice, he said that he thinks that the Is have it. So that means the budget, in my view, has been passed.
“Later there was a challenge that has not been resolved, as far as I know, and I believe we have the 2024 budget passed until such time as they resolve whenever they want to resolve. So we can all see or hear the video which will clearly show that the speaker stated after the voice declaration that the Is have it. So that is where I stand and I am pleased that the people of Ghana have the budget. As to what they will do parliamentary procedures after that is a different issue,” he stated.
Meanwhile, the Minority Leader, Dr. Cassiel Ato Baah Forson says the there is no budget and the caucus cannot allow the budget to pass since it will not auger well for Ghanaians.
“The fact remains the NPP MPs do not have the members to approve their own budget. We cannot allow this budget to go through in its current form because the ordinary Ghanaian will suffer,” he stated.
READ ALSO: 2024 Budget: Import duties on electric vehicles for public transportation waived
