Contributing to the final debate on the approval of the Budget, the Minority Leader and Member for Tamale South, Hon. Haruna Iddrisu asked the government to “go to work and stop the sloganeering”.

He hoped that the theme for the Budget, “providing opportunity for all” actually lives up to expectation and that, the trend of unnecessary transfers and removals of political opponents becomes a thing of the past.

Hon. Haruna Iddrisu also pointed out certain abbreviations used in the budget for which monies were allocated, which the Minority sees as wrong, and indicated that the Minority will resist vehemently any opportunity to allocate funds to where it is not necessary.

The Minority Leader also referred to page 184 of the budget and emphasized on the item 16 which refers to an allocation to the Ghana Bauxite and Aluminum Authority (GBAA) under the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources of which same (GBAA) does not exist, and yet Thirteen Million Ghana Cedis (Gh¢ 13m) has been allocated to that entity.

He served notice that, when the House gets to Appropriation, the Minority will resist that, and pointed out several same allocations which the Minority sees as not being in line.

Hon. Iddrisu lamented the allocation of Four Hundred Million Ghana Cedis (Gh¢ 400m) to Agriculture Insurance and wondered why at a time many sectors of the economy were experiencing cuts in allocations, such amount should be allocated for that purpose.

Pointing out that, by the time one makes deductions of certain statutory payments and commitments as stipulated by the Budget, one will be running in the negative already, he therefore wondered how government’s flagship policy interventions such as the One District One Factory (1D1F), the 1million 1constituency and the rest could be achieved.

He further revealed that the NDC left the government with 84% rural electrification, but the government is still within the same 84%.

Various interjections and points of corrections were made by the Majority to straighten issues where necessary, with the Hon. Mathew Opoku Prempeh, Minister for Education objecting to the claim that because the President does not have confidence and faith in him, he has taken the Free Senior School (Free SHS) project and put it at the Office of the President.

He said, mostly under the fourth Republican Era, most financial management of most government interventions such as the Free SHS have been under the Scholarship Secretariat, which is also under the Office of the President, a case which is similar to the case of reference.

 

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