Majority Leadership Reshuffle: Kwaku Kwarteng Reassigned To Economy Committee
- Kwaku Kwarteng, the Obuasi West MP, has been reassigned to chair the newly created Economy Committee
- The sudden announcement by the majority leader, Alexander Afenyo-Markin, took some NPP MPs by surprise
- The Minority, on the other hand, has described the reassignment as an overthrow of Kwaku Kwarteng
Obuasi West Member of Parliament Kwaku Kwarteng has been removed from chairing parliament’s Finance Committee to lead the newly created Economy Committee.
The majority leader, Alexander Afenyo-Markin, announced the shake-up on the floor of parliament on Friday, June 28, 2024.
Source: UGC
The new standing orders created the Economy Committee as a standalone committee from the Finance Committee, but it has very few powers in comparison.
The sudden announcement took some majority MPs aback. Afenyo-Markin, also the Effutu MP, noted that other changes would be announced in subsequent days.
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Justifying the shake-up on the floor of parliament, the Effutu MP noted that the Obuasi West MP has what it takes to debunk the unfavourable narratives about the country’s economy being pushed by the opposition National Democratic Congress.
He said the Economy Committee would be one of the most important committees in the House as issues affecting the economy will decide the upcoming 2024 elections.
Minority reacts to Majority shake-up
Meanwhile, the minority caucus in parliament has described the reshuffle as an overthrow of Kwaku Kwarteng.
The Deputy Minority Leader, Emmanuel Armah Kofi-Buah, said the abrupt reassignment of the Finance Committee Chairperson without the Speaker of Parliament’s knowledge was tantamount to usurping the Speaker's powers. He said the action was arbitrary and does not respect the protocols of parliament.
The Minority urged the proper process to be followed to avoid creating a bad precedent in the House.
Majority leader resigns
YEN.com.gh reported about the first round of reshuffle that hit the Majority caucus in parliament.
Majority Leader Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu resigned following a crucial meeting of the majority group and the president on February 21, 2024.
According to media reports, the meeting was called because of tensions within the majority due to plans to replace Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu with Alexander Afenyo-Markin, his deputy.
After earlier reports of the shake-up, the proposed changes drew protests from First Deputy Speaker Joe Osei-Owusu and other Majority MPs.
They vowed to resist any changes in their ranks dictated by the New Patriotic Party.
The NPP also dismissed the reports, saying it had not discussed changing the leadership of its parliamentary caucus.
Proofread by Edwina N.K Quarcoo, journalist and copy editor at YEN.com.gh.
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Source: YEN.com.gh
