E-Levy And The Irony Of Our Parliamentarians

Like many other Ghanaians, I’ve been so fascinated with the on-going debate on the E-Levy. My fascination is however with the stance of all 137 MPs from the ruling government.

It’s quite amazing to note that not even a single one of the MPs from the ruling government has the balls to reject E-Levy. Not even Kennedy Agyapong, who claims to be for the masses.

It’s been speculated that even though he was sick, the self-acclaimed people centred man Kennedy Agyapong was dragged to the floor of parliament on the day of voting for the E-Levy. It’s obviously clear that had E-Levy been conceived during Nana Addo’s first term, it’d have been pushed down our throats without the raging debates because the government had majority in Parliament then.

The raging debates going on in parliament over the E-Levy due the fact that the government does not have a ruling majority, and hence the inability to easily pass the bill is a clear indication that our parliamentary system or governance is seriously flawed.

The question that has been troubling my mind is this:

Does it mean that all 137 MPs from the ruling government have consulted with their constituents, whom they represent in parliament, and that the majority of the constituents of each of these 137 constituencies are in favour of the E-Levy? Are the 137 MPs from the ruling government representing the interest of their constituents?

And it’s been the same story when a different party is in government. Isn’t it a fallacy then for our MPs to campaign that they represent the interests of their constituents when in reality they don’t?

Even the Independent MP who is the second deputy speaker couldn’t honour the judgement of his constituents who put their trust in him, rather the party that he was sacked from.

The worst part of it is that, most of these 137 MPs from the ruling government have their constituencies outside Accra, in the remote areas of the country. And the vast majority of the constituents in these areas belong to the poor and unbanked class who depend on their relations in the cities to remit them through mobile money. These are the very people who queue up to vote for these MPs to represent their interest. This is so absurd, isn’t it?

If we as a nation, are well-informed, I guess all 137 MPs from the ruling government and the Independent MP should lose their seats come 2024 if they dare contest their seats again, whether E-Levy is passed or not.

In the UK, MPs hold weekly or fortnightly surgeries with their constituents to discuss their challenges or matters of interest to the constituents. Do our MPs do same?

I once heard that my hometown MP was lamenting on the number of people who come to see him anytime he goes to the “village,” especially on weekends. He said he doesn’t know how the people get to know of his arrival in the night.

From dawn, he starts hearing the sound of motorbikes (okada) coming towards his area. On arrival at his house, the sound of the “okada” goes off. One after the other; this goes on till daybreak. And by the time he (MP) wakes up, his house is full of people coming to see him with their problems.

The MP is said to have said that, even if he carried a sack-load full of money, all would finish. Hmmm! I’ll not want to pass comments on the MP’s laments, but I guess if my learned MP who is in his 5th term in Parliament, holds regular surgeries at various locations within the constituency for his constituents, there’ll not be the need to come to his house.

It’s rather unfortunate that we are practicing a so-called governance system or democracy that protects the interest of the few at the top with absolutely no regard to the masses.

During my interview with Paul Adom Otchere on GOOD EVENING GHANA on Metro TV in February 2020 to discuss my captivating memoir Darkest Humanity, a gentleman by name Onyameba Raymond Atta-Kesson walked into the studios of Metro TV and stood there throughout my interview.

After the interview, Onyameba offered to drive me home. He told me he was preparing to launch himself as an independent presidential candidate. He engaged me at length discussing politics and how our nation is being short-changed by the few elected politicians.

Onyameba posited that an Independent President is a better option for us than the current two party system (NPP/NDC) winner takes all, where there’s no checks and balances amongst the arms of government.

Maybe it’s about time the youth of this country give serious thoughts to the idea of having an independent president who is not NPP or NDC, with the mandate to choose half of his ministers from each side of the divide.

Perhaps this arrangement would offer us the needed checks and balances between the executive and the legislature, where a minister caught in wrongdoing or corruption would not be cleared by the president because they are from the same party - bedfellows!

I’ve heard MP Sam George spoke about E-Levy on the radio and he makes a lot of sense. Of course there ought to be E-Levy in the form of corporate tax on electronic companies such as Facebook, instagram, betting companies etc, but never on our mobile money and bank transactions.

Well, it’s about time the youth of this country rise up against our “Animal Farm” of governance where we elect people into office to serve us, but rather lord it over us.

Maxwell Maundy

Author/Writer