Sub-committees must make 2009 Budget work -Edem Asimah

THE NATIONAL Democratic (NDC) Member of Parliament (MP) for South Dayi, Mr. Simon Edem Asimah, has charged parliamentary sub-committees and members of the House, to work and ensure that activities outlined in the 2009 Budget are implemented, to make it meaningful towards the aspirations of the ordinary Ghanaian.

He described the budget variously as realistic, modest, impressive and quite achievable, but said it was up to the various sub-committees to follow up at the Ministries, to ensure that the activities outlined, and for which funds had been provided in the budget, are executed in accordance with set performance targets.

“It is up to MPs and the various sub-committees to monitor and demand execution of such activities,” he said.

The MP for South Dayi told The Chronicle, in an interview, that it was imperative for all the major stakeholders to make sure that activities lined up in the Budget, were duly carried out with the monies allocated to them by the government.

He said by the very content, structure and form of the budget, President Atta Mills had kept faith with the good people of Ghana, by emphasising on the need to continue with all the good things started by the previous government.

Mr. Asimah noted that the budget had not discounted the good foundations laid by the Kufuor administration, in the areas of the National Youth Employment Programme (NYEP) and roads and water projects, which he said, was reassuring, describing the concept of building on the foundations of projects started by the past administration, as brilliant and excellent.

According to him, the position of the President was a big departure from the past, where most projects by the previous government were abandoned, and saw it as a ray of hope for a big change in the lives of Ghanaians.

Explaining why he thinks the budget was realistic, Mr. Asimah said the budget was fine provided funds were made available for the activities outlined at the concluding chapters of the budget.

He also saw the budget as modest, since it was cautious at going about the implementation of outlined activities at a slower pace, and not get things done haphazardly.

MP Asimah as well, noted that the removal of taxes on maize, rice and vegetables and oil products, and the institution of mechanisms to make the poultry industry competitive under a proposed Agricultural and Industrial revolution, was quite impressive.

Meanwhile, Mr. Clement Kofi Humado, MP for Anlo in the Volta Region, says the budget is special, in the sense that it is responding to the promises and provisions of the party's manifesto, for which the people mandated the NDC to rule the country.

He said the budget would reduce inequality, marginalisation, the vulnerability of the people, and enhance their livelihoods and welfare.

Mr. Humado explained that the modesty of the budget was in the fact that it had taken into consideration the global economic condition, deficit accounts and arrears the government inherited when it pegged the growth rate at 5.9%, against the 7% set by the New Patriotic Party (NPP) government, but was able to achieve 6.2%.