Following an intervention by the party’s Council of Elders, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) members of parliament in the majority caucus have decided to back Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta for the passage of the 2023 budget.
The country has experienced a heightened public and media discussion on the same subject matter over the past two weeks, particularly after the President had engaged the Majority Caucus over calls for the resignation of the Minister of Finance and the Minister of State at the Ministry of Finance and a statement on the engagement had been issued.
There have occasionally been one-off individual interventions, some of which have not aided in the dispute’s resolution.
Conversely, some of these actions have fueled the escalation of tensions and mistrust.
The Majority Caucus, the Party Leadership, and the Council of Elders met this evening, November 22, 2022, and decided to refocus and recline to the earlier position asked by the President, namely:
1. The demand be stood down until the conclusion of the round of negotiations with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) which would feed into the 2023 Budget;
2. The presentation of the 2023 Budget Statement and Economic Policy on the 24th November 2022 by the Finance Minister on behalf of the President; and
3. The subsequent presentation and passage of the Appropriation Bill
The meeting agreed that the President would act upon the initial request of the NPP Parliamentary Caucus after the conclusion of these matters.
The Honourable Members of the Parliamentary Party were advised to use the Caucus communication channels and, to the greatest extent feasible, work together as one Caucus unit by the leadership of the Parliamentary group and the Party.
Members of Parliament are urged by leadership and the party to attend to all government business in the house, particularly the 2023 Budget Statement, Economic Policy, and other related subjects.
Source: newsthemegh.com