Law Lecturer at the University of Ghana, Clara Beeri Kasser-Tee, has criticised President Akufo-Addo for failing to sack Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta.
Speaking on Newsfile, Saturday, Clara Beeri Kasser-Tee wondered what President Akufo-Addo’s economic goals are, considering the current economic crisis and his refusal to sack Ken Ofori-Atta.
According to her, the reason why President Akufo-Addo has not yielded to calls for him to dismiss the Finance Minister could be that he is not alarmed by the current state of the economy.
“President should have considered whether considering the current economic situation, that is what he expected because I would expect that he appointed the Finance Minister to help him achieve a certain goal for the economy.
“In the economic circumstances that we are in, is that the goal for which he brought the Finance Minister on board?” she asked.
She said if the President has not dismissed Ken Ofori-Atta, the justification could be that Akufo-Addo is not perturbed about the current economic crisis.
“If we are going to be quite objective, if the Finance Minister is not doing what the President wants him to do, the President has the power to fire him, if the President has not done that it is a reasonable conclusion to draw that this is what the President wants him to do,” the Law Lecturer stated.
On Tuesday, October 25, 80 out of the 137 Majority MPs demanded the sacking of the Minister of Finance, Ken Ofori-Atta, and the Minister of State at the Finance Ministry, Charles Adu-Boahen citing their poor management of the country’s fiscal space.
The MPs at a press conference held at Parliament blamed the duo for the delay in the ongoing International Monetary Fund programme negotiations that is expected to give the country a bailout.
“We are by this medium communicating our strong desire that the President changes the Minister of Finance and the Minister of State at the Finance Ministry without further delay to restore hope to the financial sector and reverse the downward trend in the growth of the economy.”
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The group, led by the MP for Asante Akim North, Andy Appiah-Kubi, said the failure of government to heed to their demands will result in their boycotting of all government business.
“Meanwhile, we want to serve notice, and notice is hereby served that until such persons as aforementioned are made to resign or removed from office, we members of the Majority Caucus here in Parliament will not participate in any business of government by or for the President by any other minister.
“We hope that those of us [at] the backbench and members of the Majority Caucus will abide by this prayer. We are saying that if our request is not responded to positively, we will not be present for the budget hearing, neither will we participate in the debate.”
Their move was applauded by the general public and other groups who have in the past called for similar action to be taken.
This drew the attention of the President who summoned the NPP MPs for a meeting on the substantive matter.
After the meeting with President Akufo-Addo, the MPs in a U-turn later acceded to the President’s appeal to allow Ken Ofori-Atta and Charles Adu-Boahen stay in office till after the IMF deal is sorted out and the 2023 Budget is presented to Parliament.
In a statement released by the Majority Leader, Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, he said, the Minister of Finance and the Minister of State at the Finance Ministry will stay “until the conclusion of the round of negotiations with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the presentation of the Budget Statement and Economic Policy in November 2022 and the subsequent passage of the Appropriation Bill after which time the demand will be acted upon.”