Censure Hearing: Ofori-Atta Made Minority Look Incompetent – Prof. Gyampo

A senior lecturer at the University of Ghana, Professor Ransford Gyampo, says Ken Ofori Atta made the minority look incompetent during last Friday’s censure motion hearing in Parliament.

Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta appeared before the Adhoc Committee of Parliament hearing the censure motion brought against him on Friday 18th November 2022.

The 8-member committee has since dropped two out of the seven charges against him after the Ghana National Petroleum Commission (GNPC) which was called upon by the committee to testify on Thursday did not say that the Finance Minister authorized payment of oil revenues into offshore accounts.

Reacting to the hearing in a statement, Professor Gyampo said it appears the minority has a penchant for hyping public expectations of them but failing to live up to such expectations when it mattered most.

“They have been at it again in their recent probe of Ken Ofori Atta. They were simply uninspiring, and it appears many of the charges they chose to level against the man, were more propagandistic. 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”, the statement said.

Read full statement below:

1. It appears our minority group has the penchant for hyping public expectations of them, in their dealings in Parliament, and failing to live up to such expectations when it matters most. In their vetting of Ken Ofori Atta, they made all Ghanaians believe they were going to shoot his nomination down, for various reasons. Yet they couldn’t do this when the man appeared before them. Indeed, apart from one or two of them, on the then vetting committee who abstained, the rest voted to sing the praises of Ken Ofori Atta, and approved his nomination as minister.

2. They have been at it again in their recent probe of Ken Ofori Atta. They were simply uninspiring, and it appears many of the charges they chose to level against the man, were more propagandistic. 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.

3. Yesterday, 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.

4. 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.

5. There certainly should be better managers of our economy among the echelons of the NPP, and the indubitable truism that, Ghana and the management of our economy would not grind to a halt when Ken is no longer in charge, should point to the dispensability of all human beings, including the minister.

6. The fresh experience and innovations introduced in managing the STC by Nana Akomea, and in governing Accra, by Henry Quartey, should be a great lesson that must guide anyone who is anti-reshuffle. We cannot run the nation like spiritual churches, whose activities hover around their leadership, and die when their leaders are no more. The impression being insinuated that, there can be no successful management of our economy without the current minister, is unproductive and only serves to dissipate our scarce brains, talents and Human Resources that must be brought on board to help.

Yaw Gyampo

A31, Prabiw

PAV Ansah Street

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Suro Nipa House

Kubease

Larteh-Akuapim