General News of Tuesday, 9 February 2021

Source: mynewsgh.com

Baba Jamal opens up about number of coffins he had to buy as Akwatia MP

Baba Jamal, former MP, Akwatia Constituency Baba Jamal, former MP, Akwatia Constituency

Former Member of Parliament (MP) for Akwatia in the Eastern Region, Baba Jamal has revealed that he has lost count of the number of coffins he bought for the burial of constituents.

Speaking about the challenges lawmakers go through in the hands of constituents, he indicated buying coffins for the burial of deceased persons is nothing strange.

“I have bought several coffins though I am a Muslim. I have actually lost count of the number of coffins I bought. Once you are an MP, you cannot absolve yourself from buying coffins. There are people who are very close to you and you cannot run away from such purchases in the likely event of a misfortune. Once that person dies, the only thing you can do in his or her honour is buy his or her coffin. Kwame, I buy and sometimes buy some of the clothing they will use to lay the person in state. There are some of the funerals I would have to sponsor everything. The bereaved family sometimes leaves everything for you to do”, he revealed on Accra-based Okay Fm monitored by MyNewsGh.com.

The former Deputy National Democratic Congress (NDC) General Secretary underscored the need for patience on the side of these lawmakers with the incessant demands from constituents.

“It is very important you are patient because if care is not taken you may lose an election as a result. It is human beings we are dealing with and sometimes we need to tread cautiously. When MPs are taking huge salaries then people complain but they take this money and distribute the same among their constituents”, he stressed.