Today in History: Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu celebrates birthday with customized E-Levy cake

A year ago today, GhanaWeb reported on how there were viral videos and photos of the birthday celebration of the Majority Leader, Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu.

The highlights of the party, which was attended by high-ranking politicians and other noticeable public figures, was the design of one of the cakes at the party.

The cake - an all-green one in many parts, was designed in the letters 'E-LEVY.'

These images that went viral online, courted the anger of a lot of Ghanaians, especially since it was just around this period that the government of Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, through his Minister of Finance, Ken Ofori-Atta, were pushing this new bill for an Electronic Transfer Levy.

The E-Levy was to affect all digital money platforms.

Read the original, full story as first published on GhanaWeb on Wednesday, February 9, 2022, below:

The E-Levy ‘fight’ appears to be blowing up more by the minute and it seems the Majority is stopping at nothing until their message is drummed into every ear.

From town hall meetings to ardent arguments in parliament, the NPP and Majority side in parliament have consistently pushed for the passage of the E-levy, giving crisp reasons why it should be passed.

Despite the resistance by Minority and sections of Ghanaians, Majority members, led by the Leader, Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu have evidently reiterated the E-Levy message, albeit in a celebratory manner.

The Majority Leader has been captured celebrating his birthday with a symbolic cake on his birthday.

Photos and videos from the celebration which have gone viral capture the all-green, six-part cake that spelt out the words, E-LEVY very boldly.

With big names such the Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, his wife, Samira Bawumia, the NPP Chairman for the Ashanti region, Chairman Wontumi, among other party bigwigs in attendance, it sure seemed like a flamboyant climax of the celebration of the man who is also the Minister for Parliamentary Affairs.

As of the tenth sitting of the eighth parliament in this year, the controversial Electronic Transaction Levy (E-Levy) has still not been re-presented on the floor of parliament for the necessary processes to be made towards passing it.



The split sides on the levy have become even clearer now even as the Majority vows to move mountains to get the unpopular bill passed, while their colleagues on the other side of the House, backed by their equal numbers of Members of Parliament, have made it clear that they will lay down their lives to see this ‘obnoxious’ levy unsuccessful.

But it seems that the campaigns, the propaganda and the publicities for the E-Levy have not only been maintained at the levels of debates in parliament, or in other areas avenues such as during media engagements.

Here are some photos and videos from the celebration:





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