Scrap ex gratia for current parliamentarians – Former NPP MP

Former member of Parliament for Bantama, Dr. Henry Kwabena Kokofu has appealed to the government to scrap ex-gratia for members of the 8th Parliament and deny MPs their salaries.

Dr. Kokofu said this on the back of current confusion Parliament over which party if Majority.

“I believe Ghanaians will be happy if we scrap ex gratia. Parliament should tell us that they are not going to take ex gratia. I will advocate for that, and I expect civil society organisations, Nananom, workers, unions to support the scraping of ex gratia for parliamentarians for now,” he stated.

Ex gratia is payment made as a favour or from a sense of moral obligation rather than because of any legal requirement.

According to the former EPA Boss, Minority Caucus in Parliament are saboteurs of government business and that the NDC is only using its numbers to make the country ungovernable just so the government becomes unpopular, but they cannot enjoy the money they have not worked for so it should be scrapped.

He plans to lead an advocacy campaign, collaborating with workers’ unions, traditional leaders (Nananom), and civil society organizations to push for the abolition of ex gratia for parliamentarians.

The former MP suggested removal of Article 71 Office Holders from the Constitution, arguing that substantial development funds are being underutilized.

Dr. Kokofu expressed his displeasure with the way the NDC Members of Parliament have used their numbers to impede government policies.

He argued that this development is a clear indication of what he describes as ‘party interest over national interest’. On whether or not Parliament is entirely independent, he opined that much as he agrees with the principle of Separation of Powers, we shouldn’t also be oblivious of Checks and Balances.

He added that the NDC is only using its numbers to make the country ungovernable just so the government becomes unpopular.

“But in all this, who suffers? It’s the ordinary Ghanaian. They have forgotten that the Ghanaians whose mandate they’re seeking, stand to bear the brunt of all their unpatriotic behaviors in Parliament,” he stated.

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By Benjamin Aidoo

 

 

 

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