Censure Motion: Ofori-Atta made minority look incompetent – Prof Gyampo

Professor Ransford Gyampo, a senior political science lecturer at the University of Ghana has berated the minority in parliament over what he says is a display of incompetence in their bid to get Finance Minister Ken Ofori Atta removed through a censure motion.

In his view, the kind of things to say, and the charges to level in censoring a minister, are not like political party rally talk, that are usually not subjected to strict proof.

“You cannot censor a minister and set the kind of precedent we want to set in our drive towards democratic maturity, without being well grounded, detailed, thorough and water-tight in your charges,” he said.

Ken Ofori Atta appeared before an Ad-hoc Committee of Parliament set up to investigate the allegations of mismanagement and breach of public financial management act levelled against him by the minister.

The finance minister dismissed allegations of unlawfully drawing money from the Contingency Fund for the construction of the National Cathedral as claimed by the minority in their censure motion.

While seizing the opportunity to apologise to Ghanaians for the current economic situation in the country, he stressed that the impact of Covid-19 and Russia-Ukraine war were not expected at the time government fared well in managing the economy.

Following the responses of the minister, Professor Ransford Gyampo noted that “Ken Ofori Atta made them look so incompetent, as he nearly extricated himself from the shallow charges leveled against him. He simply knew how to answer questions without incriminating himself, and he also knew how to appeal for public sympathy”.

He added that “Regardless, Ken must go, at least for the optics of good governance. The law, and using it in the defense of one’s self is only minimum, but conscience is the upper most. He himself admits that things are hard, and of course, harder in Ghana than elsewhere in Africa. His own party people know why they have passed a vote of no confidence against him in their hearts”.