Ken Ofori-Atta, the Minister of Finance has responded to critics calling for his dismissal or resignation after the government made a U-turn by resorting to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for a bailout.
“I will not resign as others have suggested because it will be likened to a father abandoning his children after changing his mind on an issue,” he insisted.
Mr Ofori-Atta explained that asking him to resign was like telling a father to resign from his children because he changed his mind and although he earlier felt no need for Ghana to seek IMF support and assistance the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the Russia-Ukraine war compelled the government to “change his mind” about an IMF bailout.
Many citizens in the last few days, including the Minority in Parliament and former President John Mahama, have called for the resignation or dismissal of Mr Ofori-Atta and former President Mahama urgently urged President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to replace his Minister of Finance.
Former President Mahama stated that Mr Ofori-Atta had already lost his credibility, trust and confidence after he supervised “the disastrous collapse of the economy” and should not be added to the team of negotiators engaging the IMF for economic support and assistance and also given his obvious failures, Vice President Dr Muhammadu Bawumia must be relieved of his responsibility as Chairman of the Economic Management Team to enable the president to reconstitute the team.
He indicated that the country must draw useful lessons from the episode and avoid cheap politicking with the economy which could only yield the disastrous outcomes that had created an ailing economy.
Kwadwo Mpiani, former Chief of Staff under the Kufuor-led administration, called on Mr Ofori-Atta to take a personal decision to resign and was firm in his conviction the utterances of Mr Ofori-Atta before the government decided to seek intervention of IMF make him unfit to continue in the role.
According to him, if he were the Minister of Finance, from his utterances and then what had been happening, he would just go and say “Mr President, thank you so much, I think it is best for me to sit back for another person to take over” which would be his personal decision and he was not going to tell any President to drop his Minister of Finance or any minister, which should be left to the president.
