Speaker of Parliament Entreats MP's To Demonstrate Honesty and Objectively In Debating 2015 Budget


The Speaker of Parliament, Edward Doe Adjaho has entreated MPs to demonstrate honesty and objectivity in debating the 2015 Budget to ensure that government economic policy reflect the collective interests of the citizens.
 
He asked the MPs to look at new ways of scrutinizing the budget, saying with the change in the Budget format from activity based to program based budgeting, Members must also adopt new strategies in debating the document.
 
Mr. Adjaho was speaking at the opening of a two day post budget workshop for the MPs in Parliament. 

Radio Ghana’s Parliamentary Correspondents Dominic Hlordzi and Augustus Acquaye report that, the Post Budget workshop is an annual practice of the House to take MPs through the entire budget to aid in debating and approval of the economic policy and to educate their constituents on what the budget contains.
 
Opening it, the Speaker, Edward Doe Adjaho said the workshop is aimed at promoting better understanding of the complexities of the national budget which is a technical document.
 
He noted that even though parliamentary procedures for scrutinizing the budget remain the same members’ strategies of debating the Budget must change in conformity with the new framework of presenting the budget estimates of the various sectors.

The Minority Leader Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu says Civil Society Organizations and the Media are doing a lot more in representing the views of the people. This he noted is an indication that Parliament which is the representatives of the people needs to do more.

Technocrats from Ministry of Finance and Civil Society actors are taking the MPs through the 2015 Budget. Debates leading to the approval of the Budget will begin on Tuesday the 25th of this month. 

GBC