[ 2017-03-22 ]

Assemblymen request for motorbikes
Assembly members in Electoral Areas in the Wenchi
Municipality of the Brong Ahafo Region have called
on President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo-led
government to urgently assist them with motorbikes
to help facilitate their programmes and
activities.

The motorbikes, according to them would not only
help to discharge their local government role
effectively but will be used in the interest of
their electoral areas to assist in the monitoring
and evaluation of development project within their
electoral areas.

Speaking in an interview with Today, Assemblyman
for Kaamu Electoral Area in Wenchi Municipality,
Hon. Joseph Nkrumah appealed to the new government
to provide them with motorbikes like what was done
by the previous National Democratic Congress
(NDC).

He lamented that the lack of logistics of the
Assembly members in the municipality was adversely
affecting their work to deepen the local
government process.

Hon. Nkrumah also appealed to the government to
consider the issue of paying them monthly
salaries, adding that the lack of money, both for
projects and salaries, is stifling their work at
the Assemblies across the country.

“Act 462 Section 5 of [the Constitution]
enshrines that the emoluments and salaries for
Assembly Members be paid from the resources of the
Assembly whilst the same Constitution states that
the emoluments and salaries of the President and
the Members of Parliament (MPs) be paid from the
Consolidated Fund,” said Hon. Nkrumah .

That is discriminatory, he added.

He could not fathom why the president, MPs and
Assembly Members are all elected directly by
universal adult suffrage yet the Constitution
discriminates against Assembly Members by
directing that they cannot be paid from the
Consolidated Fund.

“We (Assembly Members) are given GH¢ 50 per
session. Meanwhile anytime we want to meet our
electorate we need money to hire canopies. We also
need money for other philanthropic gestures the
grassroots expect from us,” he lamented.

Hon. Nkrumah affirmed the call for increment in
the emoluments of Assembly Members, and disclosed
that at the end of every four-year term, each
Assembly Member is given GH¢150.00.

Source - todaygh.com

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