The Member of Parliament for the Bolgatanga Central constituency, Isaac Adongo is admonishing the government to respect the will and power of the people and do the needful by laying the full details of its debt restructuring proposal before Parliament for deliberation and approval or otherwise.
Mr. Adongo said it is unconstitutional for the President and his Finance Minister to delegate the power to execute a debt restructuring programme to themselves without considering the input of the people.
Speaking on Eyewitness News on Citi FM, the Bolgatanga Central legislator averred that “restructuring the debt of this country is too big for one person to do without taking the input of the people into consideration and that is why we want it brought to Parliament for approval.”
He added that “the president even knows that he doesn’t have the power to take some decisions without the approval of Parliament. The mandate of the people resides in Parliament and the President and the Finance Minister need to come to Parliament to seek approval because, without that, it has long-standing implications on the sovereignty of Ghana.”
Speaking on the back of a private members’ motion filed for a resolution on the domestic debt exchange programme, Mr. Adongo stressed that legislators “were elected to protect this country and that is what we are trying to do. We don’t want someone to appropriate powers to themselves and take decisions for the entire population without their concern.”
He also disclosed that the Speaker of Parliament has given his blessings to members of the Minority who filed the motion.
“We have approached the Speaker and we have the Speaker’s blessings and Thursday, he made it clear that if any side approaches him on such a motion, he will be inclined to admit it and so we do hope that it will be admitted.”
The five members who filed the motion include; Cassiel Ato Forson, Governs Kwame Agbodza, Mahama Ayariga, Isaac Adongo, and Rockson-Nelson Defeamekpor.
