- The majority caucus questioned why a committee should be constituted to probe the expenditures made across several sectors which falls under public funds and is already being subjected to scrutiny by the auditor general.
- According to minority leader Haruna Iddrisu, the move by his side is to ensure probity and accountability in all public expenditures.
The Minority and Majority in Parliament on Tuesday (22 February) clashed over a private member’s motion seeking the House to constitute a bipartisan committee to enquire into the expenditures made by the government in relation to COVID-19.
The committee was to be chaired by a member of the Minority caucus. The two sides were at variance over the relevance of the committee.
Majority disagrees
The Majority caucus questioned why a committee should be constituted to probe the expenditures made across several sectors which falls under public funds and is already being subjected to scrutiny by the auditor general.
According to the deputy Majority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin, the request by the Minority undermines the work of the auditor general, describing it as inappropriate and mounted on bad faith.
Listen to Afenyo-Markin in the attached audio below:
Minority makes a case
Meanwhile, the Minority has argued that there is a need for an investigative committee because the government has overspent in relation to its coronavirus virus alleviation programme.
According to the Minority Leader Haruna Iddrisu, the move by his side is to ensure probity and accountability in all public expenditures.
Listen to Iddrisu in the attached audio below:
Motion rejected
However, the motion was subsequently quashed by the First Deputy Speaker Joseph Osei-Owusu who ruled that the public accounts committee is already designed to probe into such expenditures that are already chaired by a Minority member of the House.
Bagbin on the move
Meanwhile, the Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin has announced some reforms in the composition and structure of the public accounts committee to enable the committee to become effective and prompter in the discharge of their duties.
This was after the Speaker bemoaned the slow pace of work done by the committees in the House.
The Speaker said the numbers of the committee will be increased and subcommittees also formed to beef up their work.
Listen to Bagbin in the attached audio below:
Nicholas Brown
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