Assembly Members to receive monthly salaries when you become President again?

Greetings to you, Former President John Mahama and happy belated fathers’ day. It gladdens my heart to have read in the media that on Thursday, June 18, 2020, you promised in a live Facebook session that when you become President again, you will cause monthly payment of salaries to be made to Assemblymen. I hope it will not turn out to be a political gimmick as you often describe the promises of your political opponents.

Mr. President, on March 09, 2020, I published an article on modernghana.com under the caption, “It Is High Time Government Paid Assemblymen from the Consolidated Fund: Do So by Amending Article 250 (2) of The 1992 Constitution” The piece under reference may be accessed on this ULR, https://www.modernghana.com/news/988239/it-is-high-time-government-paid-assemblymen-from.html. In the said article, I stated inter alia, “…The concern of this piece is that Government must start paying the Assemblymen (the elected members of the Assembly) form the Consolidated Fund…it is my considered view that there is constitutional discrimination towards the emoluments for the Assemblymen hence they should be paid from the Consolidated Fund…”

Among other things, I also recommended in that March 09, 2020 article that “…Instead of seeking to make Assembly elections partisan and instead of creating more constituencies, Government and for that matter Parliament should rather amend article 250 (2) of the Constitution so that emoluments for Assemblymen and the Presiding Members (PMs) become chargeable on the Consolidated Fund. This is possible because article 250 is not one of the entrenched provisions in the Constitution….”

The Assemblymen have been neglected for far too long. Ghana’s decentralization agenda have fashioned various roles for the Assemblymen who are closer to the people yet they do not receive salaries. Per their constitutional mandate, they vote to bring into office, D/MCEs and Presiding Officers who are remunerated yet the Assemblymen do not receive any regular income. Please refer to articles 243 (1) and 244 (1) and 244 (2) of the Constitution.

JM, it is therefore heart-warming that as one of the presidential candidates in the upcoming 2020 general elections, you have expressed good thoughts in favour of the Assemblymen in terms your promise to pay them monthly salaries. One can only hope that this your promise will be fulfilled if you indeed win the presidential elections. But let me say that I know you can fulfil this promise so do not hesitate to do so should the Lord give you the opportunity again.

Your Excellency, aside your promise to pay salaries to the Assemblymen if you become President again, you equally promised to bridge the wide gap between remuneration for the article 71 workers and other public servants. Further to this promise, you also said that you would establish an Independent Emoluments Commission (IEC) to see to it that the astronomical salary gaps between the two types of public sector workers are bridged. I only keep wondering what will be the duty of the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission (FWSC) if your proposed IEC comes into existence.

On December 30, 2019, I wrote my first open letter to you on the subject of the wide salary gaps between public servants and article 71 officials. The caption of that open letter read, “You Want to Bridge the Wide Salary Gaps between Article 71 Officers and Other Public Sector Workers?” That open letter can also be accessed here, https://www.modernghana.com/news/976227/an-open-letter-to-mr-john-dramani-mahama-you.html

To this end, I would like to see your commitment to your promises being made. I am told your major transformational promises have now summed up to 18.

I wish you well on your electoral journey. However, I also pray and cherish the fervent hope that regardless of which party wins the next election, salaries for the Assemblymen should be one of the priorities of government. Once again, If it turns out that you win the election, please fulfil your promises.

~Asante Sana ~

Author: Philip Afeti Korto.

Email: [email protected]