J. H. Mensah's Budget Withdrawn

The Minority in Parliament on Wednesday forced the withdrawal of the financial estimate presented by Mr J. H. Mensah, Minister of Government Business and the Majority Leader.

Mr Mensah is asking for 44.5 billion cedis for the ministry for this year.

He said the National Development Planning Commission (NDPC), Regional Planning, Economic Co-operation and Integration, Parliamentary Affairs and Private Sector Development have to come under that ministry.

Mr. Kosi Kedem, Hohoe South, Mr Seidu P Adamu, Bibiani, Mr Modestus Ahiable, Ketu North and Mr Dan Abodakpi, Keta all NDC members, who rose one after the other opposed the motion.

They said the NDPC was a constitutional body and comes directly under the President so it was wrong to put it under a ministry.

They argued that the ministries that Mr Mensah was roping into the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs were all sector ministries, which have ministers.

The MPs said what Mr Mensah was seeking to do was the duplication of work and called for the allocation of that ministry to be cut and given to the Ministries of the Interior and Defence.

Mr. Abodakpi said what the Majority Leader is seeking to do is a recipe for danger while Mr Adamu said Mr Mensah's motion was ill conceived and was generating more confusion than finding solution to the country's problem.

Mr. Adamu said Mr Mensah was biting too much and called for the withdrawal of the estimates.

Mr. Yaw Osafo-Maafo, Minister of Finance conceded that there was merit in the minority's argument and accordingly withdrew the motion to be considered later