Stress of work taking toll on MPs- Bagbin

Tamale, Aug. 10, GNA - Mr Alban Bagbin, Majority Leader in Parliament has stated that the recent death of two members of Parliament was an indication that the stress of work was gradually taking a toll on the legislators.

Two members of the House, the late Edward Salia, MP for Jirapa, in the Upper West Region and Mrs. Doris Asibi Seidu, MP for Chereponi recently passed away.

Mr. Bagbin said the pressure of work on the MPs as legislators and demands of their constituencies on them had made MPs to have little time to attend to their health needs, with some of them hardly going for medical check ups.

The Majority Leader was speaking to newsmen in Tamale, when the mortal remains of the late Mrs. Doris Asibi Seidu was flown in from Accra yesterday, to be sent to Chereponi her hometown for interment today (Monday).

The remains of the late MP was accompanied by her relatives and MPs from the NDC and NPP, including the Deputy Minority leader Mr. Ambrose Dery and Hajia Alima Mahama, a former Minister of Women and Children's Affairs under the Kufuor administration.

Mr. Bagbin described the late MP as a hard working person, who had a passion for social work and the development of her constituency.

He stressed the need for parliament as an institution to be strengthened and MPs provided with secretaries, offices and other facilities, to reduce the pressure in the performance of their duties.

He said the public, especially the constituencies of the MPs also needed to be educated on the core role of MPs as legislators and not development agents, so that they would appreciate their work and desist from making excessive demands on them.

GNA