General News of Wednesday, 1 December 2021
Source: www.ghanaweb.live
2021-12-01It is no longer a fight for the opposition – Bright Simons on 2022 budget policies
Vice President of IMANI, Bright Simons
2022 budget rejected by minority
Majority votes to approve budget
Bright Simons describes 2022 budget policies as problematic
The Vice President of IMANI Africa, Bright Simons has stated that the fight to have what he describes as problematic policies removed from the 2022 budget is no longer a fight for the minority
Read full articleside of the house who have mounted a spirited defense against the passage of the budget.
According to the vice president for the policy think tank, there is only so much the opposition and some activists can do against policies in the budget which are not in the interest of the larger population.
”The Opposition NDC MPs have done their best to restrain a govt hellbent on pushing thru(sic) policies like Agyapa & Aker which benefit the few rather than the many. There is only so much the opposition & a few activists can do. Are you of the people? So what are YOU going to do?” he questioned in a Twitter post.
On the resolve of the government to have the budget passed by all means instead of revising the budget to satisfy the concerns some of the policies contained in it has generated, Bright Simons emphasised that the fight has now moved beyond the minority and requires public support to resist it.
“When a Ruling Party lacks even one person who can resist problematic govt policies & rather than revise a budget to remove such policies will rather fly in members on leave, nothing except widespread public denunciation may work. It's no longer a fight for the Opposition per se,” his post added.
The 2022 budget presented by the minister for finance was approved by parliament on Tuesday, November 30, 2021, when an all-majority side of the house conducted proceedings in the absence of the minority who opted to stay out of the chamber.
The approval came after an all-minority house had rejected the budget on Friday, November 27, 2021.
The rejection of the budget last Friday was conducted without the participation of the majority who staged a walkout of the chamber moments before the budget was put to a vote.
