We don't do politics at the Ministry of Finance - Ofori-Atta slams Minority

Presenting the Mid-year and Supplementary Budget Review in Parliament, Thursday, The Finance Minister ended with a request for approval of GHC11.8 billion as a supplementary budget.

The budget contained a lot of 'goodies' including free water and electricity for three months, Coronavirus alleviation & revitalization of enterprises support (CARES), GHC1.2bn for large enterprises and so on.

However, the Minority in reaction said the Finance Minister presented the NPP's 2021 manifesto instead of the budget statement.

The Member of Parliament for Bolgatanga Central constituency said: “When you put the finances in the hands of people who are clever thieves that is what you see today. I felt very sad sitting there and listening to the Minister and with my professional eyes, seeing the attempts to plunder away and steal our national resources and finding a way to cover for it.”

“How on earth can you be coming for 11.8 billion and you don’t know what you are going to use it for. He is now going to sleep over it and think about the lie that he will come and tell the Finance committee, but as at the time he was coming here today he only had an expenditure of 5.3 billion but the Minister is asking for 11. 8 billion cedis.”

But Finance Minister scolded them saying; this is not the time to play politics.

Speaking in a one-on-one interview on Peace FM's morning show 'Kokrokoo', Ken Ofori Atta wondered, "should we have asked for more . . . what is this? sometimes it is frustrating because we are not doing politics at the Ministry of Finance . . . during their time; without COVID they reached 11.5% and in our time with the pandemic we've managed to 11.4 so we are comfortable with it".

"But it's not really time for that type of politics when lives are at stake; they should look for something else to say," he slammed.