Majority engaged in ‘ego trip’ with forced budget approval – Suhuyini

Member of Parliament for the Tamale North constituency, Alhassan Suhuyini, has said the Majority in Parliament is only servicing its ego by forcing the approval of the 2022 budget statement.

Speaking on the Citi Breakfast Show, Mr. Suhuyini said the Minority expected the government to present a revised budget to Parliament.

“It is just an ego trip that they are engaged in. Even as they conceded that the budget they presented needs revision, they are unable to do the right thing by resubmitting a revised budget.”

Mr. Suhuyini also said the boycott by the Minority was justified in order not to legitimise the actions of the Majority.

“Our protest wouldn't have been recognized. We would not have been noticed, but what we would have been doing [if we stayed in the Chamber] would have been to validate attendance.”

“We thought that it was better for us to deny the required number of people who are supposed to be present,” the MP added.

Mr. Suhuyini also feels the actions of the Majority have fractured trust between both sides.

“By their conduct, they have clearly indicated to us that they are not ready to cooperate with us and that they are not ready to work with us to move this country forward.”

“Moving forward, we will have to vote on everything that we could easily compromise on,” he said.

Parliament under the leadership of First Deputy Speaker, Joseph Osei Owusu, overturned an earlier rejection of the 2022 budget statement through his interpretation of the constitution and the standing orders of Parliament.

The First Deputy Speaker included himself in the total number of MPs in the House before having the motion for the reversal of the rejection of the 2022 Budget moved.

This is despite him serving as the Speaker of Parliament in the absence of Alban Bagbin, who is in Dubai for a medical check-up.

His inclusion pushed the number of the Majority Caucus MPs to 138; one more than the Minority.

This kept the Majority within the remit of standing orders, which stipulate that no question for decision in the House shall be proposed for determination unless there are present in the House not less than one-half of all the Members of the House.

Mr. Owusu then pushed for the motion arguing that Mr. Bagbin, erred in overseeing the rejection of the budget by the Minority side last Friday since there was no clear majority in the House during the proceedings.

---citinewsroom