The Majority Leader, Mahama Ayariga, has pushed back against allegations by the Minority that government is suppressing debate on a motion related to the GoldBod.He insisted the claim is misleading and factually inaccurate.
Responding to concerns raised by Minority Chief Whip, Frank Annoh-Dompreh on Tuesday, Ayariga argued that the motion before Parliament is not about the Gold Board but rather the Gold-for-Reserves programme implemented by the Bank of Ghana.
“How does a demand for a Gold-for-Reserves motion metamorphose into a GoldBod motion?” he queried, accusing the Minority of ‘playing to the gallery’ and creating a false narrative.
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According to him, the motion explicitly calls for the establishment of an ad hoc committee to investigate the Gold-for-Reserves Scheme, a central bank initiative aimed at strengthening Ghana’s reserves and stabilising the currency.
“This is not Gold Board. It has absolutely nothing to do with Gold Board,” he stressed, adding that any attempt to link the motion to GoldBod and suggest a cover-up is unfounded.
The Majority leader argued that the Minority itself had previously acknowledged the role of the Gold-for-Reserves programme in stabilising the cedi, even attributing its origins to former Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia.
He dismissed claims that the Majority is avoiding debate, insisting that members on his side are fully prepared to engage.
“Nobody is running away from any motion. This is a very simple and innocuous motion, and we are ready to debate it,” he said.
Addressing concerns about reported transaction losses under the programme, the Majority leader noted that while some losses may have occurred, they must be weighed against the broader economic gains.
“In every transaction, you compare the loss versus the gain. We are talking about billions of dollars brought into the system, improved reserves, reduced inflation, and a more stable cedi,” he argued.
He contrasted the current performance of the Cedi with previous periods, claiming that despite earlier losses under similar initiatives, the currency had weakened significantly, whereas current policies have contributed to relative stability.
Hon. Ayariga revealed that members of the Majority are fully prepared to participate in the debate, describing the motion as one that even favours the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC).
“This is a motion that gives us the opportunity to showcase our achievements in stabilising the currency. In fact, we should have brought this motion ourselves,” he added.
He, however, pointed to procedural lapses on the part of the Minority, indicating that advice given during leadership consultations on how to properly structure the motion had not been followed.
“I am not the one who admits motions. The Speaker does. If there are issues, straighten them so we can proceed,” he said.
On threats by the Minority to disrupt government business if the motion is not taken, Ayariga urged restraint, emphasising that parliamentary business is a shared responsibility.
“Government business is business for all of us. If you insist we bring our numbers, we will bring our numbers, but that should not be the issue,” he cautioned.