‘I doubt if the censure motion will succeed’ - Executive Director of ACEPA

The Executive Director of the African Centre for Parliamentary Affairs (ACEPA), Rashid Draman, has expressed doubts about the censure motion against Ken Ofori Atta because according to him, members of parliament lack the moral courage to remove non-performing ministers from office.

Mr. Draman said that the provisions in the 1992 constitution; Article 82 state that, a censure motion must be debated and voted on within 14 days after it has been filed but after 28 days since the motion was filed, it is yet to be debated and voted upon.

He cited an example of the absentee MPs, Sarah Adwoa Safo, MP for Dome Kwabenya constituency in the greater Accra region, and Henry Quartey, Greater Accra regional minister who absented themselves from parliament beyond the stipulated period and were made to face the privileges committee of parliament whom he said have still not been punished even after a committee’s report.

“It looks like our leaders are constantly insulting us but the House is yet to vote on the censure motion that has been filed against Ken Ofori -Atta, the finance minister, by the minority in parliament and Article 82 of the 1992 constitution states that the censure motion must be debated and voted on within 14 days after it has been filed, it is yet to be debated and voted upon,”.

“….i am doubtful if the censure motion will succeed because in the constitution, a censure motion should be done in 14 days and our leaders are guarantors of the constitution but they are in violation of it and they think there is nothing wrong and the earlier we go back to the drawing board to look at the constitution, the better,” he said.

His comment comes after some MPs left for Qatar to watch the World Cup pending the budget debate and approval in parliament.

He argued that there's a possibility nothing would be done to the said MPs.

The censure motion against Ken Ofori-Atta is grounded, among other things, on accusations of financial recklessness, conflict of interest, and gross mismanagement of the economy against the minister.

Meanwhile, the minority in parliament is confident that the motion against the minister will succeed.

AM/WA