North Tongo Member of Parliament, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has described Ken Ofori-Atta’s use of scripture as obnoxious and irritating.

The Finance Minister, Ofori-Atta, who was in parliament on Thursday, February 16, 2023, to give details about the government’s Domestic Debt Exchange Programme (DDEP), opened his remarks with, “I come in peace.”

He then proceeded to quote a Bible verse from Psalm 105, which urged people to give thanks to the Lord and make his works known to all.

“If I look at Psalm 105, it says ‘let’s give thanks and notes that we should rejoice with the Lord and make his great deeds known among people. So, we thank God, Mr Speaker for today and how far the Lord has brought us,” he said.

Reacting to this, however, Ablakwa, during his turn to debate on Ofori-Atta’s presentation, the North Tongu Member of Parliament expressed shock at the choice of Bible verse, and proceeded to quote counter scriptures to criticize the finance minister.

“Mr. Speaker, what is even so obnoxious and irritating is the minister’s opening remarks that this is the time to rejoice in the Lord. Jesus Christ of Nazareth! The minister forgets that in Proverbs 29:2, the Bible says that when the wicked rule, the people mourn, the people groan, there is pain. There is pain and anxiety when the wicked rule,” he said.

The MP added that the fact that the minister could still rejoice despite the challenges means that the country is even deeper in trouble than he thought.

“This is no time to rejoice. If the minister is still rejoicing, then our problems are bigger than I ever imagined. Because it tells us that the president, his vice president, and his finance minister are in a bubble; they are totally out of touch. They are in a world of their own, and they are still in a rejoicing mood,” he said.

PI/WA