A former Deputy Minister for Communications, Felix Kwakye Ofosu, has said that the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) cannot be blamed for the hardship in Ghana because it is unable to check the government.
According to him, Ghanaians must also be careful about whom they elect to govern the country.
Speaking on JoyNews’ NewsFile programme, on Saturday, March 25, 2023, Kwakye Ofosu said that even though the concerns of Ghanaians on NDC Members of Parliament not being able to check the government are right, the party cannot be held responsible for the failings of the Akufo-Addo government.
“First of all, the Ghanaian people have the responsibility to watch who they elect into office. You see, you cannot go and elect a useless government and shift the burden of policing them on another party,” he said.
He added that Ghanaians were warned against electing Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo but that didn't stop them from making a two-term president.
“People like myself, for the better part of a decade, have railed against him and spoken about the fact that he is going to do exactly what he was doing in power.
“Some people labelled as babies with sharp teeth vilified us and called us all sorts of names and somehow went to elect him. Today, he has driven the worst governance ever seen under the 4th Republic, if not in our entire history. So, the electorate too must take the share of the burden that when you see that a leader is wrong and cannot govern, you don’t go and elect him,” Kwakye Ofosu reiterated.
The former deputy minister for communications also said that although some NDC MPs voted to approve the ministerial and judicial appointees of President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, the party remains opposed to the policies of the Akufo-Addo government.
“The leadership and general membership of the NDC remains implacably opposed to the obnoxious policies of this unhitched, reckless and in some instances, utterly useless government that has become an albatross around our neck. And many of the things that this government has done has met with the disapproval of large sections of the Ghanaian population,” he said.
Parliament approves all six nominees, two Supreme Court Justices:
Parliament on Friday, March 24 approved all six ministerial nominees as well as the nominees of the supreme court of President Akufo-Addo after a heated debate, 24 hours prior and a tense voting process.
Final results declared by Speaker Alban Bagbin showed that all nominees got more votes than the minimum of 138 votes required because out of the 275 eligible voters, there were three absent.
Some Members of Parliament (MPs) of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) did not adhere to the decision of the party to vote against the approval of the nominees.
Kobina Tahiru Hammond (MP for Adansi Asokwa) was approved as the Minister of Trade and Industry and Bryan Acheampong (MP for Abetifi) as the Minister of Food and Agriculture.
Other nominees who were approved include Stephen Asamoah Boateng, as Ministry of Chieftaincy; Mohammed Amin Adam, Minister of State (Ministry of Finance), and Osei Bonsu Amoah, Ministry of Local Government.
Stephen Amoah, the Member of Parliament for Nhyiaeso, was also approved as the Deputy Minister of Trade and Industry.
The Supreme Court nominees who were approved include George Kingsley Koomson, Justice of the Court of Appeal, and Justice Ernest Yao Gaewu, Justice of the High Court.
Watch the interview below:
“You can't go and elect a useless government and shift the burden on policing them on another party” - Felix Kwakye Ofosu pic.twitter.com/xs46UjSS0J
— KOJO DYNAMIC ???? (@AnnanPerry) March 25, 2023
You can also watch this episode of People & Places here: