News:
November 28, 2018
The Minority in Parliament has taken a swipe at the Minister for Information Kojo Oppong Nkrumah and cautioned him to stop propagating half truths on Sundays, since it is a holy day for Ghanaians and many people in all parts of the work.
According to the Minority, the press briefing organised by the Information Minister that the size of government machinery is undergoing a programmed reduction on Sunday is untruth.
“How can 1,614 staffers be in comparison 998 be a programme reduction, if Ghanaians did not accept the news of 998 when the news of staffers broke out what makes the Minister think they would accept 1,614 in 2019”
Ranking member on Foreign Affairs Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa addressing the media on Monday 26th of November 2018 said President Nana Akufo-Addo in compliance with the Presidential Office Act provided the following list of staffers to Parliament; Minister of state nine (9), Presidential staffers twenty-seven (27), junior political appointees two hundred and fifty-six (256) and some employees of the Public Sector Organisation numbering seven hundred and six (706) this is what gives the total number to nine hundred and ninety-eight (998), he said.
He further pointed out that the numbers of the staffers of 2018 is yet to be presented to Parliament and 998 is the figure of 2017.
“Information Minister either goofed badly or he set out to deliberately mislead Ghanaians in his Sunday press briefing, as I raise concern about the size of government during my debate of the 2019 budget last week”.
The Minority insists that this government is too large, wasteful and humongous; we cannot continue on this reckless and insensitive trajectory more especially a government that has appointed hundred and eleven (111) Ministers, the Minority stated.
In addition, we owe it to the people who elected us and sent us here to raise issues and more importantly mobilize resistant to stop this unwarranted plunder of the taxpayer’s money.
“President Nana Akufo-Addo did not obviously mean it when he pledged to protect the public purse during his Presidential inaugural address”.
“We in the Minority are resolved to do everything in our power to prevent the continuous rape of the public purse”, he lamented.
The Minority further demanded the cutting down of the size of staffers at the Office of Government Machinery. “It is an insult to Ghanaians who were opposed to the 998 staffers few months ago only to be confronted with a much bigger ceiling of 1,614 in 2019 by a government that refuse to listen”.
By: Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/ghanamps.com