[ 2021-03-17 ]

Budget cuts for legislature, judiciary won’t be entertained – Speaker
The Speaker of Parliament Alban Bagbin is on a
collision course with President Akufo-Addo over
his decision to slash budget estimates for the
Judiciary and the Legislature.

Alban Sumana Bagbin during the presentation of the
2021 budget statement last Friday directed the
Interim Finance Minister Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu
and the Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, who
was present to convey the message to the President
that any slash in the budget estimates for the two
institutions will not be entertained.

This comes after President Akufo-Addo through his
Executive Secretary Nana Asante Bediatuo announced
to the speaker a ¢77 million slash in the
estimate presented by the Judiciary and Judicial
Service and over ¢119 million from the estimate
of the Legislature.

The presidency cited current economic challenges
for the decision.

But in a sharp rebuttal, the Speaker said, “The
Budget is not for the Executive, we have the final
power to approve and so what the Constitution has
done is for them to make a recommendation and to
negotiate during the deliberation before the
House.

“It is not for Executive to impose views on the
Judiciary and Parliament, we have to do the right
thing and so during the consideration of the
estimates particularly the Committees concerned
take that on board.

“At the end of the day, come and inform us of
the negotiated figure, not the ceiling that has
been given by the President. That is not the
intention of the 1992 Constitution. If you do
otherwise, I as your Speaker will not append any
letter for submission to the President for his
actions…I mean what I am saying, the weakest
link in our democracy Parliament and because of
that we are not able to correct things like
corruption, hold the nation to account and get the
rule of law going,” he said.



The Speaker further disclosed he will not forward
the Appropriation Bill to the President for his
ascent when passed if negotiations are not done to
find a common ground for the allocation of the two
organs instead of the imposition

Source - Joyfm

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