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A political scientist at the University of Ghana, Dr. Kwame Asah-Asante, has supported calls by some NPP Members of Parliament (MPs) for Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta, to be sacked.
The MPs, numbering about 80, held a press conference on Tuesday to impress on the President to relieve his cousin of the responsibility of managing the national purse or risk losing their support for government business going forward.
Speaking in an interview on Joy FM’s Midday News on Tuesday, Dr Asah-Asante stated that the NPP MPs’ call should have come earlier.
“The decision is even long overdue. One would have thought that it has taken a long time. They have waited till this time, but you know what, better late than never,” he said.
He lauded the NPP MPs for taking the initiative to have the Minister removed from office since the President has been adamant in heeding several calls to have the Finance Minister removed from his position.
President Akufo-Addo has maintained that there is no basis for him to sack the Finance Minister.
According to him, Ken Ofori-Atta has performed his duties ‘excellently’ and he cannot relieve such a person of his position, therefore, calls to have Ken Ofori-Atta sacked are unjustified.
He added that the Minister cannot be blamed for the current economic challenges.
But Dr. Asah-Asante believes that this move is “in the right decision at the right time.” This, he explained is because, “it will now force the hand of the President if he doesn’t want to budge, then they[Majority MPs] will take the route of censure to get the Minister removed.”
“Politics as I have always said, is the contest of ideas and referendum of your work. And the work of government, particularly relating to the economy, is so important that you cannot do without and it is one variable that is the economy that influences voter choice in the country, so the party does not want to sit down for this to continue,” he stressed.
Meanwhile, the NPP MPs also want the Minister of State in charge of Finance at the Ministry of Finance, Charles Adu Boahen, also removed from office.
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