Majority Leader, Osei Kyei Mensah Bonsu is alleging that the Speaker of Parliament, prior to the 2022 budget presentation by the Finance Minister, threatened to have the budget thrown out.
According to the Suame Member of Parliament, the Speaker’s threat was as a result of the Finance Minister’s refusal to heed to the Speaker’s request that GH C1.72 billion be allocated to Parliament.
The Minister of Parliamentary Affairs also blamed the fisticuff in parliament on the absence of the Speaker, noting that the Speaker’s absence could be furtherance to his threat to have the budget thrown out.
‘‘Why weren’t we coming out? We were not coming out because we had a Speaker who told the Finance Minister that because he had not given Parliament an amount of ¢1.72 billion, that he the Speaker has requested the Finance Minister to give to Parliament, he the Speaker was going to ensure that the Budget was rejected. That is what happened that day,’’ he stated.
He made these claims at a press briefing that followed the adjournment of Parliament on Thursday, December 22, 2021, due to the absence of the Right. Hon. Speaker Alban Bagbin.
These claims were however disputed by the Deputy Minority Leader of Parliament, Hon. James Klutse.
According to the Ketu North Member of Parliament,Alban Bagbin only questioned the sufficiency of ¢510m Budget allocated to Parliament, for the House to perform its duties.
Mr Klutse Avedzi, who spoke to Joy FM’s Evans Mensah explained that the Speaker’s request was based on his engagement with the President, at which he made a case for the judiciary’s and legislature’s budgets be increased to 5% of the total Budget.