The Deputy Majority Whip, Habib Iddrissu, has strongly defended the decision to reassign the MP for Obuasi West, Kwaku Kwarteng, from his position as Chairman of the Finance Committee.
This was after the leaders made changes to the leadership in line with Parliament’s new Standing Orders, which now allows NDC MPs to chair at least 10 of the most important committees.
The Minority has since criticised the announcement of the reassignment of Kwaku Kwarteng, attributing the MP’s opposition to the over 400 million cedis tax waivers as the reason for the changes.
But Deputy Majority Whip, Habib Idrissu insists the assertions are not true.
According to him, the Majority “needed the experience he has had as Deputy Minister for Finance for four years and the experience he has had as chairman, to blend together for us…so he can handle issues that have to do with the economy.
“The most important thing is that the Majority Caucus hasn’t made that change or changed him because he was in opposition to something”.
While justifying the decision, the Tolon MP explained that his side of the House needed Mr Kwarteng more in his new role.
“When you look at the Minority side, they always try to talk about the economy and we needed somebody who can speak to that,” he stressed.
The comment comes weeks after the Majority Leader, Alexander Afenyo-Markin, announced a shake-up of the majority leadership in Parliament.
As part of this, Obuasi West MP Kwaku Kwarteng was removed as Chairman of the Finance Committee.
Speaking on the floor of Parliament on Friday, June 28, the Majority Leader said Kwaku Kwarteng had been moved from the Finance Committee to chair the new Economy Committee.
He justified the move by highlighting Mr Kwarteng’s capability 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 Isaac Adongo. Hon. Kwaku Kwarteng is going to face him directly on the economy,” Mr Afenyo-Markin stated.
But the Minority chastised the Majority over the move.
Speaking on the floor of the House on Friday, June 28, the Deputy Minority Leader, Emmanuel Armah Kofi-Buah, argued that the move was unconstitutional, accusing the Majority Leader of usurping the Speaker of Parliament’s power to make such changes.
“He’s the Majority Leader, and he should know better not to usurp the power of the Speaker, the Chairman of the Committee of Selection and to come here to simply announce that he has overthrown him and made changes without the knowledge of the Speaker,” Mr Buah lamented.
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