Majority walks out as final debate on 2022 budget heats up

The Majority in Parliament on Friday, November 26 staged a walkout during the final debate to have the 2022 budget statement approved.

The Speaker, Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin, therefore, decided to suspend proceedings for five minutes in order to have the Majority side to reconsider its decision.

Debate on the budget, christened Agyenkwa Budget, on the final day had been heated as the Majority Leader, Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, stood on the floor to mount a spirited defence of it.

The Minister of Finance, Kenneth Ofori-Atta, who presented the budget on Wednesday, November 17 on behalf of President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, was also in the House to ostensibly win the sympathy of members to have the budget approved.

The walkout by the Majority members had been preceded by their delay to be in the House ahead of the start of Friday’s proceedings.

Majority conspicuously missing at start of proceedings to approve 2022 budget
Majority Chief Whip Frank Annoh-Dompreh had explained that the leadership was in a caucus meeting with the Speaker as well as the Minority side’s.

This was, however, denied by the Speaker, who said he had no knowledge of the said meeting.

But after matters were settled, proceedings went on smoothly until the Minority demanded of some non-members to leave the floor.

One was the Minister of State in charge of Finance, Charles Adu Boahen, who was accordingly led out of the chamber.

The Majority also demanded that the General Secretary of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) Johnson Asied Nketia, who was seated in the public gallery, be made to go out.

The Speaker did not budge and ignored the demand.

It was after this that the Majority felt unfairly treated by the Speaker and decided to boycott the proceedings to approve the budget.

But Mr Asiedu Nketia, a former Member of the First, Second and Third Parliaments, said the action by the Majority was much ado about nothing.