General News of Saturday, 16 March 2024

Source: www.ghanaweb.com

If presidents, vice presidents retire on their salaries, why not MPs? - Afenyo-Markin asks

Majority Leader in Parliament, Alexander Kwamina Afenyo-Markin Majority Leader in Parliament, Alexander Kwamina Afenyo-Markin

The Majority Leader, Alexander Afenyo-Markin, has questioned why the Members of Parliament do not retire on their salaries like it happens to presidents and vice presidents in the country.

According to him, both caucuses in parliament, including members of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and the New Patriotic Party (NPP), should come together and work towards their welfare instead of waiting for their colleagues to die before raising the issue.

He questioned why the constitution makes provision for presidents and vice presidents to retire on their salaries while omitting lawmakers from such a privilege.

Speaking on the floor of parliament, Afenyo-Markin stated that it would be prudent for the house to come up with a proposal that will help to make it mandatory for MPs to retire on their salaries to cater for their welfare when they are no longer in office.

"Let's not wait for someone to die before we come here
and there is nothing in the constitution for us. It's only the president and the vice president that seem to be recognized that upon retirement the state takes care of them.

"What about the MPs? I call on my colleagues, let's have a proper thinking of this house. Now we have a committee. That committee must have the responsibility of enlarging a proposal which will look at these things critically for them to be debated. The committee must report and make it mandatory for the state to take care of us. You leave sometimes empty,” he said.

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