The Second Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, has bemoaned how worsened the plight of Members of Parliament (MPs) have become because their salaries have not seen any increase since 2016.
He made these comments on ‘Happy Morning Show’ (HMS) when the main host of the show Samuel Eshun inquired about his well-being.
‘’Our salary has remained the same since 2016, there has been no increament whatsoever even though the prices have gone up. The economy is not good, but government will churn out data that is not a true reflection of what is happening on the grounds’’ he stated.
READ MORE: A month on: Gov’t still in talks with Neoplan Ghana Limited over shut down
According to the outgoing MP for Nadowli-Kaleo, in 1993, the crop of parliamentarians went to parliament with patriotic zeal.
‘’ These days people go to parliament to enrich themselves, the standards have fallen badly and it gives me nightmares. In 1993, we went to parliament with patriotic zeal’’ he added.
According to a Ministry of Employment and Labour relations report, Ghana’s national daily minimum wage 11.82 cedis (U.S. $2.16) for 2020, meanwhile an MP in Ghana earns over eleven thousand Ghana Cedis (GHC 11,000) a month.
Article 71 office holders which includes MPs take home four (4)-month salary for each of the years that they have been in office as ex gratia.
By: Bridget Mensah
