Assembly members in Electoral Areas in the Wenchi Municipality of the Brong Ahafo Region have called on President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo-led government to urgently assist them with motorbikes to help facilitate their programmes and activities.
The motorbikes, according to them would not only help to discharge their local government role effectively but will be used in the interest of their electoral areas to assist in the monitoring and evaluation of development project within their electoral areas.
Speaking in an interview with Today, Assemblyman for Kaamu Electoral Area in Wenchi Municipality, Hon. Joseph Nkrumah appealed to the new government to provide them with motorbikes like what was done by the previous National Democratic Congress (NDC).
He lamented that the lack of logistics of the Assembly members in the municipality was adversely affecting their work to deepen the local government process.
Hon. Nkrumah also appealed to the government to consider the issue of paying them monthly salaries, adding that the lack of money, both for projects and salaries, is stifling their work at the Assemblies across the country.
“Act 462 Section 5 of [the Constitution] enshrines that the emoluments and salaries for Assembly Members be paid from the resources of the Assembly whilst the same Constitution states that the emoluments and salaries of the President and the Members of Parliament (MPs) be paid from the Consolidated Fund,” said Hon. Nkrumah .
That is discriminatory, he added.
He could not fathom why the president, MPs and Assembly Members are all elected directly by universal adult suffrage yet the Constitution discriminates against Assembly Members by directing that they cannot be paid from the Consolidated Fund.
“We (Assembly Members) are given GH¢ 50 per session. Meanwhile anytime we want to meet our electorate we need money to hire canopies. We also need money for other philanthropic gestures the grassroots expect from us,” he lamented.
Hon. Nkrumah affirmed the call for increment in the emoluments of Assembly Members, and disclosed that at the end of every four-year term, each Assembly Member is given GH¢150.00.
