By Boakye Stephen,Kumasi, Ghana | Reporting for Ghanaian News Canada
The New Patriotic Party has thrown its full support behind Minority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin’s demand for answers over the reported GH¢22 billion losses associated with the Ghana Gold Board.
The party’s position comes after days of accusations and counter-accusations between the parliamentary Minority and GoldBod Chief Executive Officer Sammy Gyamfi over the reported losses and the financial implications of the Domestic Gold Purchase Programme.
Speaking at a press briefing on Tuesday, August 25, NPP National Organiser Henry Nana Boakye said the party stood firmly behind the Minority Caucus and its efforts to obtain a full and transparent account of the reported losses.
He said the NPP supported the questions being raised by the Minority and its demand for accountability from the state institution responsible for the country’s gold purchasing operations.
According to Mr Nana Boakye, the matter should not be reduced to ordinary partisan political rivalry because it concerns the management and accountability of public resources.
He stressed that the government of the day remained answerable to Ghanaians for public funds and demanded that every question surrounding the reported losses be addressed openly and under proper scrutiny.
The NPP National Organiser urged the Minority Leader and members of the caucus to use every available parliamentary mechanism to pursue answers.
These, he said, include parliamentary questions, committee hearings, requests for documents, order papers, points of order and other procedures provided under Parliament’s Standing Orders.
Mr Nana Boakye also urged the Minority to take the matter beyond Parliament and engage the Ghanaian public through what he described as the court of public opinion.
He assured the Minority Caucus of the NPP’s continued support until the questions surrounding the reported GH¢22 billion losses were fully addressed.
The party has also called on Ghanaians to take an active interest in the matter and demand accountability over the management of public resources.
COMMENTARY:
The GoldBod controversy is therefore gaining further political momentum, with the NPP now formally throwing its weight behind the Minority’s demand for greater transparency and a detailed account of the reported losses.
