Respond appropriately to Hawa Koomson’s outrageous budget - Rawlings

Former President Jerry John Rawlings has waded into the outrageous budget of the Minister of Development and Special Initiatives charging the current government to take action in the matter in the interest of probity and accountability.

Addressing patrons at the 36th anniversary of the 31st December Revolution in Ho, Mr Rawlings indicated that if the matter is unattended to, it could lead to an upsurge in corruption in the country.

“I expect the executive to similarly respond appropriately to the reported inflated budgetary allocations by a particular ministry, which has elicited some negative responses from the general public. Left unattended to these acts can lead to the escalation of corruption in our country”. He stressed.

Background

It would be recalled that there has been a public outrage over a proposition from the Ministry of Special Development Initiatives to spend GH¢800,000 approximately $200,000 in designing a website for the Ministry as contained in its 2018 proposed budget.

National Democratic Congress (NDC) Member of Parliament (MP) for Kumbungu Constituency, who first raised concerns over the figure described it as outrageous and pure corruption.

“The corruption in this government is unbelievable. 800,000 cedis, about $200,000 for website development. What kind of website is that? 6.5million for furniture. Ministry of Special Development Initiatives approved budget for 2018. How could people be so criminally minded? If this doesn’t make you angry as a Ghanaian, irrespective of your political affiliation, I don’t know what would”, he said.

The Ministry presented a total budget GH¢71, 059, 970.00 for approval by parliament to be channeled into various projects including the construction of a school block, rending offices for the northern, middle and coastal belts as well as procurement of vehicles.

Estimated cost of furniture and the designing of a website is what has taken the shine out of the total budget as many have described the figure as exceedingly out of gear suspecting that it is waste of the state’s resources.

Madam Madam Mavis Hawa Koomson hwoever broke her silence on the controversial GH¢800,000 proposed budget for a website development a week ago, indicating that the quoted figure was a typo error.

Parliament has approved a total budget of GH¢71, 059, 970.00 for the operations of the Ministry of Special Development Initiatives in the ensuing year.

But one item that took centre stage of public discussions is the proposed GH¢800,000 for the development of the website the Minister has disclosed that it was a typo error and that the real amount was GH¢80,000.

On Accra-based Starr Fm, she said: “How on earth can we use GH¢800,000 for just a website? Are we mad? To be frank with you when I heard the report I called the budget officer only to realise that it was a typo,” she told Starr Today’s host Naa Dedei Tettey.

She continued, “how on earth can we use GH¢800, 000 for this Ministry’s website? What kind of website are we building? Please it is not GH¢800, 000…it was typo error.”