ALHAJI Asuma Banda, Chairman of the Antrak Group of Companies, has advised the government to save the billions of cedis it spends on accommodation and expensive vehicles for minister of state, other government functionaries and members of Parliament.

Instead, he has advocated that all such categories of officials should be well remunerated so that they could, on their own, secure their own accommodation and transportation to save badly needed funds for the state.

Alhaji Banda, who was also the Chairman of the erstwhile Great Alliance of the NPP and the People’s Convention Party (PCP), was speaking in an interview in Accra yesterday.

According to Alhaji Banda the government spends billions of cedis of the tax payer’s money annually to provide, renovate and maintain bungalows for its appointees and functionaries.

“If one considers the fact that the large number of expensive vehicles, including four-wheel drive ones, and other privileges such as the provision of drivers, cooks, and garden boys among others are given to some government officials, then the actual cost to the state economy would be regarded as prohibitive”, he contended.

The former Great Alliance Chairman pointed out that at a time that the government has opted for the Highly Indebted Poor Country (HIPC) initiative and called for hardwork and sacrifice from all, such high expenditure can no longer be justified and supported.

“It is both unjust and unfair at this time when we are a HIPC nation and asking the ordinary people to tighten their belt, to continue to lavish such privileges on government functionaries. This clearly does not give leadership example for which the ordinary people on the ground must emulate”, he stressed.

He noted that if the people see modesty and cutbacks on some of these expenditure, they would become more committed to sacrificing to help rebuild the nation.

Alhaji Banda called on the President to set up a committee of distinguished citizens to advise on ways of offering better remuneration to such government officials and members of Parliament to condition them to cater for their own accommodation, transport and other needs.

He pointed out that if the government was able to accomplish this feat, it would save billions of cedis annually which could be profitably channelled into other areas of national endeavour to improve the well-being of the people.