Vote Of Censure Against Ken Ofori-Atta Lost

The censure motion filed against Finance Minister Ken Ofori Atta has failed.

Both Majority and Minority caucus selected their members to debate the motion on Thursday.

Majority walks out

Members of Parliament on the majority side before the conclusion of the debate on the report of the censure motion to remove the Finance Minister staged a walkout.

Majority side, Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu before leading his side to walk out, said: “The minority leader said that some of the issues that they have raised are right. What it means is that some of them are not right, some of them are untrue, some of them are falsehoods and you want us to vote with you. Mr Speaker, he didn’t point out which ones are true and which ones are false and you want us to follow you on this misadventure. Mr Speaker, like Pontius Pilate we wash our hands,” he said.

Censure vote

Despite their walking out, the Speaker, Alban Bagbin, ordered for a secret ballot in accordance with Standing Order 105 and Article 104(4) of the 1992 constitution.

Even though all 136 MPs on the minority side took part in the voting, their numbers were not enough to carry out the censure.

After counting and declaration of the results, the Speaker of Parliament, Alban Sumana Bagbin said the censure vote against Ofori Atta is lost.

“In accordance with article 83(1) which reads; Parliament may by a resolution supported by not less than two-thirds of all the MPs pass a vote of censure on the Minister for State. Following the terms of Article 82 (1) the vote is accordingly lost,” he said on the floor.

 Censure motion

The minority moved a censure motion to get the Finance minister out of office on the following grounds

-Despicable conflict of interest ensuring that he directly benefits from Ghana’s economic woes as his companies receive commissions and other unethical contractual advantages, particularly from Ghana’s debt overhang.

-Unconstitutional withdrawals from the Consolidated Fund in blatant contravention of Article 178 of the 1992 -Constitution, supposedly for the construction of the President’s Cathedral:

-Illegal payment of oil revenues into offshore accounts, in flagrant violation of Article 176 of the 1992 Constitution:

-Deliberate and dishonest misreporting of economic data to Parliament 5. Fiscal recklessness leading to the crash of the Ghana Cedi which is currently the worst-performing currency in the world:

-Alarming incompetence and frightening ineptitude, resulting in the collapse of the Ghanaian economy and an excruciating cost of living crisis;

-Gross mismanagement of the Ghanaian economy which has occasioned untold and unprecedented hardship

Source: Peacefmonline.com