Minority threatens to block Parliament if Finance Minister skips Gold-for-Reserve questions

The Minority in Parliament has issued a warning to the government, saying it will obstruct parliamentary proceedings if the Finance Minister, Dr Cassiel Ato Forson, fails to appear before the House to answer questions on the Gold-for-Reserve programme.

Raising the matter in Parliament on Tuesday, Minority Chief Whip Frank Annoh-Dompreh criticised what he described as an intentional delay in scheduling the minister to brief lawmakers.

He noted that the concern persists despite the Speaker’s earlier approval of a motion seeking a probe and debate on issues surrounding the Gold-for-Reserve initiative and the operations of GoldBod.

Mr Annoh-Dompreh accused the Majority of stalling the process to avoid scrutiny and insisted that the Minority would withhold cooperation on government business until the matter is brought before the House for discussion.

Parliament is currently working to pass several major bills ahead of its scheduled adjournment for the Easter break on March 27.

“We will not allow you to proceed on that tangent of shielding matters that have to be discussed. The public is interested, and Ghanaians are watching you. What is it about the Gold-for-Reserve that you don’t want us to debate?

“You are just putting frustration in us because you think you have the numbers. But I tell you in plain words, unless you go and marshal all your numbers to pass everything on this floor before Friday, your business will suffer.”