Ex-gratia woefully inadequate – Former MP

General News of Friday, 5 April 2013

Source: citifmonline

Alfred Abayateye

Former Member of Parliament for Sege, Alfred Abayateye has made the strongest case yet why MPs should be paid ex-gratia.

Alfred Abayateye opined that the GHC200,000 paid to former MPs is woefully inadequate considering the contributions of MPs to the country’s development.

The Legislature has come under severe criticism for the payment especially in the wake of the agitations on the labour front.

Speaking to Citi News, the former Sege MP said the criticisms are unjustified.

“Those who are crying; when they go to the MPs and they ask the MPs to give them money to go and pay their school fees, to go and have operations and all of those things…Does the constitution of Ghana say that the MP should pay somebody’s child’s school fees? Does the constitution of Ghana say that the MP should pay when you are sick? And if the MP is able to do this for you and by the constitution he is being paid, they are crying for it.”

Mr. Abayateye added that the MPs are entitled to the money because they are Ghanaians who pay taxes.

He questioned why the general public “is always against the legislature but not the other arms of government? Why don’t they criticize the Judiciary? Why don’t they criticize the Executive?”