Deputy Minister of Local Government and Rural Development Osei Bonsu Amoah has expressed shock at former president John Dramani Mahama’s promise to pay assembly members allowances if elected president on December 7.
According to Mr Amponsah, assembly members already receive salaries and ex gratia insisting the constitution makes room for that.
Speaking on Happy FM’s Epa Hoa Daben show he said, “we have heard candidate Mahama say he will pay assembly members if he wins the 7th December 2020 elections. It is not a bad idea but it is already happening. The constitution already makes provision for that.”
He further quoted the section of the constitution which mandates that assembly members are paid. Article 250 (2) of the constitution reads, “The emoluments of a Presiding Member of a District Assembly and other members of the Assembly shall be determined by the District Assembly and paid out of the Assembly’s own resources.”
He urged Mahama rather promise he’ll be making changes to that part of the constitution rather than promising to do something already in existence.
“Candidate Mahama should say he wants us to make a constitutional change and not say he will pay assembly members. Assembly members are already being paid. They receive allowances as per the constitution and even receive ex-gratia which is determined by the assembly.”
John Mahama as part of his campaign has been pledging to provide assembly members with monthly allowances.
Explaining how he would fund it, he stated that if President Akufo Addo alone could spend GHC69 million on travels in nine months in 2019, then the money could be found to pay assembly members.
Source: GhanaFeed.com
