The Ranking Member on the Finance Committee of Parliament, Isaac Adongo, has apologized for his previous comparison of Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia to footballer Harry Maguire, arguing that the two are worlds apart in performance.
The British and Manchester United footballer has found his rhythm and is contributing positively to club and country, but Dr Bawumia has plunged Ghana into chaos, the MP for Bolgatanga Central maintained.
Harry Maguire was the subject of ridicule in the Ghanaian parliament in 2022 as the MP described Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia as the ‘Economic Maguire’ of Ghana.
Mr Adongo took shots at Dr Bawumia, suggesting that the chairman of the economic management team had made Ghana worse, just as the Manchester United centre-back, Maguire, scored own goals and assisted opponents.
He argued that Dr Bawumia had become a risk to the economy and destroyed its fundamentals rather than the ‘economic saviour’ he was touted to be.
Speaking on the floor of parliament during the 2024 budget debate on Tuesday, November 21, 2023, Mr Adongo downgraded Dr Bawumia to an even lower position, pointing out that Maguire had turned the corner and become a transformational footballer, while Dr Bawumia was now “roaming at the IMF with a cup in hand.”
“Mr Speaker, you remember that last year I was very quick to compare Dr Bawumia to Harry Maguire. Mr Speaker, I now apologize to Harry Maguire. Today, Harry Maguire has turned the corner, and he is a transformational footballer. He is now scoring goals for Manchester United, and he is now a key player in Manchester, but as for our Maguire (Bawumia), he is now roaming at the IMF with a cup in hand. Our economic Maguire now was able to get pensioners to leave their house and come and parade in the streets,” he said.
Parliament commenced discussions on the 2024 Budget Statement and Economic Policy on Tuesday, November 21, 2023.
Per the timetable, Tuesday will be for finance, agric, trade, and industry.
Debate on communications, energy, roads, works, housing, sanitation, and environment will take place on Wednesday; Thursday will be for education, health, employment, youth and sports, tourism, culture, and chieftaincy, while on Friday, governance, including local government, judiciary, defence, interior, the Electoral Commission, National Commission for Civil Education, and Commission on Human rights and administration of Justice will take centre stage.
The debate is expected to be concluded by leadership of both the Majority and Minority on Tuesday, November 28, 2023.