The Minority in Parliament has threatened to shun the approval of the 2023 budget estimates of sectors whose ministers fail to appear in Parliament.
The Minority MPs lamented that such ministers are refusing to attach importance to the business of Parliament.
They warned that they would vehemently oppose the approval of any estimates from ministers absent from such exercise.
While speaking on the floor of Parliament, the Minority Leader, Haruna Idrissu, urged the ministers to avail themselves to the House for the approval of the budget.
“When we get to the approval of budget estimates and ministers don’t appear in person in Parliament by themselves, we will not support the approval of the budget allocations to those ministries.
“Ministers must take this House very seriously, and only ministers so appointed by the President to oversee the sectors of those ministries must rise from their seats to move motions to ask for budget allocations and approval by this House. Failure to do so will mean that we will stump down a number of those motions,” he warned.
“We will hold this government accountable, and we intend to strengthen oversight, and it begins with this our decision. If ministers don’t appear in person to move motions for budget allocations, then they should expect the fiercest resistance from this side of the House,” He added.
On Tuesday, November 29, Parliament began the debate on the Budget Statement and Economic Policy of the Government of Ghana for the year 2023.
Mr Ofori-Atta, on behalf of President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, presented the 2023 annual Budget Statement and Economic Policy to Parliament on Thursday, November 24 2022.
However, before the debate, some MPs, particularly from the Majority side, were not in the chamber to participate in the discussion.
To that end, MPs of the Minority Caucus expressed worry over the development and called on Mr Alban Bagbin, the Speaker of Parliament, to suspend the debate until Mr Ofori-Atta appeared before the House.