The National Organizer of the Liberal Party of Ghana (LPG), Yaw Asani Tano, has said that the continued stay in office by the Minister of Finance, Ken Ofori-Atta is untenable.
He claimed that even if the President won’t fire the finance minister, he should be removed because of the suffering and debt he has caused Ghanaians.
He asserts that Ofori-Atta must step down as finance minister because of the misery that many Ghanaians have through as a result of his handling of the country’s economy.
In an interview with UTV, he claimed that the minister, much as he had done with the banking sector clean-up that resulted in the failure of numerous companies, is refusing to take advice about the government’s Domestic Debt Exchange Program4 (DDEP).
“You (Ofori-Atta) are killing people. I have asked Ken Ofori-Atta to put himself in the shoes of the pensioners and ask whether they will be able to afford medical care if they are included in the DDEP like he did when he fell sick”.
“You have depleted all the economic buffers of the country … the number of people who have died as a result of your bad management cannot be counted but you are still not listening to advise”.
“I will love the situation where the military and the police probably will just go and pick Ken Ofori-Atta and say we are not making you come to this office again. That man alone there should be a coup d’etat on him,” he said in Twi.
Relatedly, Ken Ofori-Atta is set to face Parliament over the controversial domestic debt exchange program.
Following the picketing of retirees at the Finance Ministry to demand exemption from the exercise, the Minority expressed concerns and demanded policy specifics on the program.
Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin said members stand ready to provide assistance to the government.
“Parliament is ever prepared to assist government to get out of this quagmire. So, what I can say now is that, parliament has spoken and that is the end of it.
The Minister must be scheduled by the business committee as early as possible because this is an urgent matter because the pensioners are picketing at the Ministry.
We need to do this as quickly as possible. Business Committee should schedule the Minister to appear before the house for a brief on the state of affairs.”
However, Deputy Finance Minister, Abena Osei Asare assured that MPs will be updated on the current situation.
