Majority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin has revealed that the finance minister is prepared to present the 2025 mini-budget should Speaker Alban Bagbin recall the House before December 31, 2024.
He disclosed this at a press conference on Friday, December 20, 2024, after the Speaker adjourned sitting to January 2, 2025, following the failure of Finance Minister Dr. Amin Adam to present the mini-budget.
Alexander Afenyo-Markin, the majority leader, blamed the finance minister’s failure to deliver the 2025 mini budget on what he believes to be the lawlessness of the minority group.
He stated that his side was against the decision by the Speaker to adjourn sitting to January 2, 2025, stressing that when the house reconvenes on January 2, 2024, the finance minister will lay out the expenditure in advance of appropriation.
He alleged that the NDC members were planning to exclude some key issues such as the Free SHS bill and the consideration of some judges from the order paper.
“Today we did the agendum, for some strange, mysterious reasons, the Free SHS Bill was taken off the order paper. I had to cause the reprinting of the order paper to have the Free SHS bill. Why are they against the free SHS bill? Why don’t they want the Free SHS bill to be passed?” he said.
He went on to state that his side had several engagements with the minority to reach a compromise, but the minority was only interested in creating chaos, and so the speaker had to adjourn.
‘’We were opposed to this adjournment, but he is the Speaker. Now, this one major outstanding matter. the expenditure in advance of appropriation. In other words, the expenditure in account. To break it down, because the budget for 2024 ends on 31 December 2024, there is the need for us to approve some expenditure on account until the new government comes out with its budget. We want to tell the people of Ghana that we, as democrats, are ever ready to proceed to do this expenditure on account. There is no way we will ambush our own fortunes as a nation.
It is rather the lawless NDC minority who have done all they can to obstruct government business, and they do not even care about the effect of our inability to undertake this constitutional obligation. We want to take this medium to assure the nation that should Mr. Speaker reconvene parliament anytime soon before 31 December 2024, we, as the majority led by the finance minister, will proceed to do this expenditure on account to enable the Ghanaian public servant to benefit from this expenditure. Again, if the Speaker should reconvene parliament on the 2nd of January 2025, we will come as a responsible party to do this all-important business,’’ he concluded.
By: Rainbowradioonline.com/Ghana
