A fiery Parliamentary debate on the 2012 Budget, which has the theme: �Infrastructural Development for Accelerated Growth and Job Creation� begins today, Wednesday November 23.
Soon after Dr Kwabena Duffuor read the budget last Wednesday, opposition Members of Parliament and lawmakers from the majority bench have been preparing for a debate likely to see entrenched partisan positions taken by both sides.
Already, opposition MPs have called the document all sorts of derogatory names. Adansi Asokwa MP, Hon K. T Hammond, said �the budget was hopelessly useless. � But, Information Minister and MP for Talensi, John Tia Akolgu, dismissed the NPP�s criticism of the budget.
�This laudable budget is the best thing ever to have happened to Ghana,� the Minister said soon after the budget was read to a packed House of lawmakers, journalists, experts, businessmen and women as well as visitors.
Days earlier, Deputy Majority Leader, Hon Rashid Pelpuo told The Globe Newspaper the Minority�s criticism of the budget long before it was read was �unreasonable and unacceptable�.
�We want to see an opposition that has a constructive view of the budget. ..An opposition that will join us to implement a budget that will be acceptable to Ghana so if they begin criticising what they don�t know yet it shows lack of adequate responsibility to the duty they need to perform.�
�The Minority must show that they can fall in line when the need be and let Ghanaians know that they are capable of taking over in the unlikely event of our not winning,� he said, adding �If they fail to show constructive criticisms the people of Ghana will see that they are exposed and will not give them the mandate.�
During his speech to parliament on Wednesday, the Finance Minister said the nation�s GDP is up from a growth of 4.0 per cent in 2009, 7.7 per cent in 2010 and 13.6 per cent in 2011. He also said inflation, which was 18.1 per cent at the end of 2008 now stands at 8.40 per cent in September, 2011.
But, Hon KT Hamond told The Globe Newspaper �the NDC as a party in government has shown it is incompetent first of all, it has no plan to save our economy and to provide jobs for Ghanaians, and therefore is completely useless in power.�
�These people do not deserve a second term,� he said, adding �they have nothing good to offer. They are just not up to the task.�
The former Deputy Energy Minister later told Citi News that it was irritating for the NDC government to continuously glorify itself with a drop in inflation while prices of goods on the market �keep soaring.�
But, the Chairman of the Finance Committee in Parliament, James Kludze Avedzi has also told the same station that the criticisms from the NPP side in the House �must be ignored.�
Throughout the weekend, leadership of Parliament, selected Members of Parliament and staff of the legislature were in the Volta Regional Capital of Ho at a post budget workshop sponsored by the Parliamentary Centre.
The organisers said the heavily-attended workshop was to explain the fine details of the 2012 budget to lawmakers in order to position them for thorough scrutiny of what is being called the first ever composite budget in Ghana.
But, onlookers say MPs will not do much work beyond taking usual partisan positions that tend to could the critical development and social problems facing Ghanaians.
Indeed, opposition MPs have already served notice they intend to use the debate to make a firm appeal to the voting class in Ghana �never to repeat the 2008 mistake of voting for the NDC.� Governing NDC MPs however say the �2012 budget is documentary evidence that the better Ghana Promised by President Mills is very much on course.�
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