Asiedu Nketia backs minority for ‘boycotting’ 2018 budget approval

The General Secretary of the largest opposition party National Democratic Congress (NDC); Johnson Asiedu Nketia has said the move by the minority in parliament to abstain from voting on the appropriation bill was in the right direction.

He indicated that they did that to draw attention of Ghanaians attention that the minority is not part of the illegalities ongoing in parliament.

He accuses the majority of abusing the standing orders in Parliament and says the minority is not in support of that.

He was speaking to Otec news in an interview on December 6, 2017.

Parliament has approved the 2018 budget statement presented to the House by Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta three weeks ago.

The Minority, however, abstained from voting to approve the budget.

The National Democratic Congress (NDC) MPs have always insisted the finance minister breached the Public Finance Management Act in the presentation of the mid-year budget review.

In a final debate before the approval, minority leader Haruna Iddrisu faulted the President for naming programmes after himself in the Statement.

Mr. Johnson Asiedu Nketia pointed out that economic management and anything regarding Nation Building is solely based on budget.

Mr. Johnson Asiedu Nketia asked that the minority’s action be not misconstrued as an effort to sabotage the government but rather to create awareness of the illegalities being perpetrated by the majority.

“We don't want it to be that the minority boycott parliament yesterday to avoid the approval of the budget to accuse them that they have brought hardship in the country because it is obvious that NPP cannot govern the country but to draw Ghanaians attention to the illegality of the majority in parliament," he noted.