Pardon us if you come across the word “toilet” in this piece, but the Member of Parliament for Assin Central, Hon. Kennedy Agyapong has likened the work of a parliamentarian to a sewage collector with no respect.
Mr. Agyapong was reacting to public outcry over the payment of ex-gratia which was paid to each Member of Parliament that has served four terms in parliament duly.
For the past few months, this country has witnessed series of strike actions from teachers, doctors and pharmacists who have vowed to continue the action until their discrepancies are resolved. In the wake of this, government managed to pay all 230 parliamentarians their ex-gratia which was reported by the Daily Guide to be around the region of ¢630 Billion.
But speaking on the issue on Okay FM’s morning show dubbed Adee Akye Abia, Hon. Agyapong cautioned those on strike not to envy the monies given to parliamentarians since they deserve the payments. He rated the work of an MP a little below an excreta collector and maintained that the profession was a foolish profession.
“With all due respect, I believe if (MPs) come next to those who collect human excreta – The most foolish work to do in Ghana is to become a Parliamentarian”.
“How on earth can someone get pregnant with her fifth child for several months and after delivering the baby, would walk to a parliamentarian and tell him ‘pay my hospital bills’? People live with their husbands and after giving birth, come to us for us to pay their children’s schools fees.
In recent times, even when someone is getting ready to marry; the MP is forced to bear the cost. Is this something you can call a job…if you make a mistake and refuse to pay their bills, they go around tarnishing your image. This is the kind of job we do in parliament”, he said.