Isaac Obour Manu, the Ashanti Regional Chairman of the Ghana Association of Assembly Members, has called for better incentive packages to enhance the discharge of duties and welfare of Assembly Members in the country.
“The plight of Assembly Members under successive governments has not been good, the situation is worrying given the critical role we play in the local governance system,
perform similar functions as Members of Parliament (MPs).
“As Assembly Members we also enact laws, spearheading government’s policies, programmes, social interventions, progress, growth, development and facilitate the implementation of projects at the community level,” Mr Manu decried.
Addressing a press conference in Kumasi, he however, bemoaned that what was offered to Assembly Members in the course of their activities was nothing to write home about because they received a paltry sum of GH₵1, 500.00 as their End-of-Service benefits, and that was sadly tied to the meagre internally generated funds of the Metropolitan Municipal and District Assemblies.
Mr Manu stressed on the need for the citizenry to revisit the 1992 Constitution and make the requisite amendments on how Assembly Members should be treated and pointed out that “in our view, we think the time has come for assembly members to be remunerated since we represent the people’s interest at the Assemblies”.
He appealed to Parliament to, as a matter of urgency, revisit Article 250 Clause 1 and 2 of the 1992 Constitution, as well as Section 11(2) of the Local Governance Act, the relevant laws, which dealt with the emolument processes of the District Chief Executives, Presiding Members, and Assembly Members, ought to be seriously looked at.
Additionally, Mr Manu disclosed that the Association had proposed the establishment of an Electoral Area Common Fund to enable Assembly Members to carry out growth and development projects under strict auditing and supervision by technocrats, “necessary to engender growth and development of the local governance concept for the wellbeing of our people”. -GNA
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