The General Secretary of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) says the party took a decision to support the passing of Ken Ofori-Atta as Finance Minister.

Speaking to JoyNews, Asiedu Nketia said that the party did not want to hold back when President Akufo-Addo insists on having a “lame-duck” person in charge of the country’s finances.

“There was a party decision that let President Akufo-Addo have his Finance Minister and that has been achieved. It is the position of the party that if President Akufo-Addo thinks that he wants a lame-duck Minister of Finance, let him have it,” he said.

He stated that there has been no resistance from the grassroots adding that many of them are not bothered about who is appointed when they are struggling to put food on their table.

“The ordinary person who has no food to eat cannot pay his bills doesn’t care who is approving whom. This doesn’t take away the suffering of the masses so our MPs will go back and deal with the situation that affects the daily lives of Ghanaians.”

Asiedu Nketia’s comment comes after many members of the party expressed displeasure in the NDC MPs approval of the Finance Minister.

On the back of this, the leadership of NDC asked its members together with its Executives to be circumspect in their statements.

In a press release signed by its General Secretary Johnson Asiedu Nketia, the party assured its members that the decision was arrived at in view of the “exigencies of the situation.”

He urged the rank and file of the party to remain calm and “circumspect” in their reactions on the appointment.

Also, Deputy Minority Whip in Parliament, on Monday, asked members of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) to not attack members for approving the appointment of Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta as Finance Minister.

Speaking on Joy FM’s Top Story, Ahmed Ibrahim said that it would be unwise to bring someone else in to inherit the ‘mess’ he suggested Mr Ofori-Atta created in his first term as Minister.

He explained that it would be easier for a new minister to make excuses when questioned about projects that were not managed under their tenure.

However, former Kumbungu MP, Ras Mubarak has described the decision to keep Mr Ofori-Atta as Finance Minister as flawed.

This, according to him, is because it is unwise for a person who is alleged to have displayed incompetence to be kept in a position that allows him to repeat same.

“If the economy is messed up further by the one who crashed it initially as we are made to believe, it is the fed-up man or woman in the streets who suffers and not the politician who gets some things tax-free,” he added.

Source: MyJoyOnline