Member of Parliament for Tano North, Dr Gideon Boako, has criticised Dr Cassiel Ato Forson, the finance minister-designate, for what he described as an evasive and inconsistent performance during his vetting.
At a Minority press conference on Wednesday, 15 January, Dr Boako expressed disappointment in Dr Forson’s responses to critical issues.
“Cassiel Ato Baah Forson, who appeared as the Finance Minister-designate, was evasive, inconsistent, and lacked clarity of thought,” Dr Boako stated.
He argued that as a former Deputy Minister of Finance and a ranking member of the Finance Committee, Dr Forson should have demonstrated a higher level of preparedness and provided concrete solutions to pressing national concerns
Dr Boako highlighted the Minister-designate’s response to the government’s promise of covering the first-year academic user fees of tertiary students as particularly disheartening.
“How can a Finance Minister-designate look into the faces of parents and young Ghanaian students and say that because he is not yet the Minister, he cannot answer whether the pledge by President Mahama to pay for their fees would be honoured?” he questioned.
He further accused the National Democratic Congress (NDC) of misleading the public with unrealistic campaign promises.
“This is a clear way of telling our tertiary students that the NDC party deceived them into voting for them,” Dr Boako remarked. He called for greater accountability from Dr Forson and the NDC government to fulfil their campaign promises to Ghanaians.
