The Deputy Majority Whip, Habib Iddrisu has refuted claims that Kwaku Kwarteng’s reassignment as Chairman of the Finance Committee to the new Economy Committee was due to his opposition to tax waivers.
An unexpected announcement by Majority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin revealed changes in majority leadership. Mr. Kwarteng was moved from the Finance Committee to chair the new Economy Committee.
Mr Afenyo-Markin justified the move by emphasizing Mr Kwarteng’s ability to address economic matters and challenge the opposition’s representative on economic issues.
“We are challenging you to come up with your spokesperson on the economy. You have not said so officially, but we are going to make sure we have a spokesperson on the economy to challenge your Adonko. Hon. Kwaku Kwarteng is going to face him directly on the economy,” he stated.
The minority group criticised the change, alleging that the Majority was using the change of standing orders as a pretext to remove Mr Kwarteng due to his stance on tax waivers.
However, Tolon MP, in an interview on Joy FM’s Newsnight dismissed these comments as false.
“We were not changing him [Kwaku Kwarteng] for purposes of tax waivers. If it was the case, we still have the right to have come before the floor whether there was a new standing order or not to change leadership,” he said on on Tuesday, July 16.
Mr Iddrisu explained that Kwarteng could not hold two positions simultaneously due to the workload while reiterating that the change was for economic reasons.
“The Chairman of the Finance Committee would be too busy to do certain things, and if we allow him, he might not have the time to handle certain things for us,” he explained.
When asked if the reassignment was a demotion, Iddrisu clarified that with barely five months until the election, they needed Kwarteng’s expertise as a former Deputy Minister for Finance, adding that Mr Kwarteng could effectively handle issues related to the economy.