Minority boycotts vetting of Deputy Trade Minister-designate

Members of the Minority Caucus on the Appointments Committee of Parliament have boycotted the vetting of the Deputy Minister-designate for Trade and Industry.

Kofi Ahenkorah-Marfo, the Deputy Trade and Industry Minister-designate, is set to be vetted today, July 2 but a press release signed by the Minority Leader Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson said he and his members will stay away from the process.

The Minority members say the current economic difficulties make it impossible for them to partake in the vetting process.

The caucus also cited the relocation of international companies from Ghana and indicated such instances demand a cut in government size and not addition

“We are again unable to support this nomination by President Akufo-Addo at this time because our country has gone through (and continues to go through) very difficult periods, including the crippling economic crisis, food insecurity, debt default as a result of excessive borrowing, corruption in government and wasteful and reckless expenditures.

“With ordinary Ghanaians going through excruciating hardships and businesses relocating from Ghana as a result of the high tax regime created by the Akufo-Addo/Bawumia government, one would have expected the President to downsize his already large government. This would have sent a signal to the people that the President was mindful of the economic realities and was willing to do things differently to restore the needed confidence in the economy.”

The Minority members further stressed that “We will not, and cannot, take part in a decision to further burden the already suffering Ghanaian, especially when the president is unmindful of the financial consequences of his bloated government.”