Mixed reactions from Members of Parliament

Centre Spread, Nov 16, 2007
Story: Kweku Tsen & Emmanuel Adu-Gyamerah
THE final Economic Policy and Budget of the eight-year rule of President John Agyekum Kufuor, dubbed, “A Brighter Future”, has received mixed reaction from Members of Parliament (MPs).
While the Minority described it as a “piled-up document aimed at deceiving the people”, the Majority said it was one “aimed at consolidating the gains” of the Kufuor administration.
It took the Minister of Finance and Economic Planning, Mr Kwadwo Baah-Wiredu, nearly two hours to present the budget, amid heckling from some Minority MPs and cheers from those on the Majority side.
In the end, MPs from both sides of the House burst into choruses and showed inscriptions on pieces of paper to portray how they considered the budget.
While the inscription on the pieces of paper held by the Minority MPs read “Obra no aye denden, yerewuo” (to wit, life has become hard, we are dying), that on the Majority side read “The future is bright. NPP is right”.
True to those inscriptions, MPs from the two sides of the House did not depart from the sentiments they expressed when the Daily Graphic spoke to them after the budget presentation.
The Minority Leader, Mr Alban Bagbin, said it was unfortunate that the 2008 budget was “a propaganda spin”.
“I expected the budget to focus on awareness creation,” he said, explaining that the majority of Ghanaians did not understand democratic governance.
He stated that efforts should, therefore, be made to enable them to be knowledgeable about the functions of the various arms of government and the district assemblies.
“This will be the surest way of beginning a development agenda that will stand the test of time, instead of the usual propaganda gimmick associated with the budgets of the government,” he said.
Mr Bagbin said it would be sad if the government failed to be committed to the Northern Development Fund that had been announced in the budget.
On education, the Minority Leader called for more attention to be given to the needs of teachers to enable them to give of their best.
The Minority Spokesperson on Finance, Dr Benjamin Kumbuor, said the budget was “simply a piled document” to deceive the people.
“It has no hope and should be rejected by Ghanaians,” he stated.
The Minority Spokesperson on Energy, Mr Moses Asaga, said the budget could not be described as “A Brighter Future” budget, since it did not reduce the prices of utilities and petroleum products.
“Using the term ‘brighter future’ to describe the budget is an affront to Ghanaians,” he said.
The NDC MP for Asutifi South, Mr Collins Dauda, said he doubted if the government was really committed to some of the programmes and policies announced in the budget.
He said programmes such as the tarring of cocoa roads, a housing scheme for farmers, among others, were mentioned in previous budgets but they could not be implemented.
Alhaji Dauda called for efforts to reduce the importation of rice, saying that “there is no element of bright future in the budget. It is a budget pregnant with hardships for the ordinary Ghanaian”.
But the NPP MP for Asunafo North, Mr Robert Sarfo-Mensah, countered the arguments from the Minority, saying that programmes lined up in the budget were laudable.
He mentioned the government’s intention to tar cocoa roads, expand railway lines, especially those in the western corridor, the expansion of water systems in five communities in all districts, the School Feeding Fund and the Northern Development Fund as programmes which would benefit the people.
He stated that the projected seven per cent growth was attainable, while efforts to solve the energy problem once and for all should be pursued with vigour.
The NPP MP for Obuasi, Mr Edward Ennin, said there was no doubt that the Kufuor administration had performed creditably over the last seven years.
“The signs are there for all to see,” he said, adding that macroeconomic stability and other good economic indices had been achieved as a result of prudent economic planning.
Mr Ennin added that the budget would consolidate all the gains and move the country closer towards the objective of achieving a middle-income status.
The Deputy Minister of Tourism and MP for Asuogyaman, Mr Kofi Osei-Ameyaw, said the government had exhibited its capabilities in terms of prudent economic management and wondered why the Minority continued to throw dust onto the eyes of the people.
“Ghanaians are the best judges,” he stated, and added that there was no doubt that the NPP had done well to improve on the battered economy it inherited.