Deputy Majority Whip Habib Iddrisu has dismissed claims that Kwaku Kwarteng’s reassignment from Chairman of the Finance Committee to the new Economy Committee was due to his opposition to tax waivers.
Majority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin recently announced changes in the majority leadership, moving Mr. Kwarteng to chair the newly established Economy Committee. Mr. Afenyo-Markin justified the move by highlighting Mr. Kwarteng’s ability to handle economic matters and effectively challenge the opposition on economic issues.
“We are challenging you to come up with your spokesperson on the economy. You have not said so officially, but we are going to make sure we have a spokesperson on the economy to challenge your Adonko. Hon. Kwaku Kwarteng is going to face him directly on the economy,” he stated.
The minority group criticized the change, alleging that the Majority was using the change of standing orders as a pretext to remove Mr. Kwarteng due to his stance on tax waivers.
However, in an interview on Joy FM’s Newsnight, Tolon MP Habib Iddrisu refuted these claims. “We were not changing him [Kwaku Kwarteng] for purposes of tax waivers. If it was the case, we still have the right to have come before the floor whether there was a new standing order or not to change leadership,” he said on Tuesday, July 16.
Mr. Iddrisu explained that Kwarteng could not hold two positions simultaneously due to the workload, reiterating that the change was for economic reasons. “The Chairman of the Finance Committee would be too busy to do certain things, and if we allow him, he might not have the time to handle certain things for us,” he explained.
When asked if the reassignment was a demotion, Iddrisu clarified that with barely five months until the election, they needed Kwarteng’s expertise as a former Deputy Minister for Finance. He added that Mr. Kwarteng could effectively handle issues related to the economy.
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