MPs will pay back the car loans – Parliamentary Service
The car loan for MPs is not a gift, it is a loan they will pay back for as has been done before – Parliamentary Service
Picture of members of parliament seated in Ghana's Parliamentary Chamber
The Public Affairs Directorate of Parliament has in a statement clarified that car loans for MPs are not free. This was to clarify the reasons for the public anger following the presentation of a $28 million dollar loan agreement to Parliament to secure cars for the 275 Members of Parliament.
Minister for Finance, Mr Ken Ofori-Atta presented a loan agreement for $28 million to Parliament for the purchase of vehicles for Ghana’s legislators. And following the presentation, Ghanaians have expressed their unhappiness of the move and criticized the government and Parliament for being insensitive to the hardships currently experienced in the country.
Per the amount and the number of MPs involved, each MP is expected to receive over $100,000 from the loan for the purchase of a vehicle.
The Finance Committee of the House is expected to consider the loan agreement and report to the House.
Some Ghanaians who felt the ruling group has betrayed the citizenry have taken to social media to express their feelings. That act has kept a lot of pressure on the government and Members of Parliament with some also giving their view of it.
This has prompted the Parliamentary Service to come out to explain in detail the agreement. It debunked assertions that the loan facility is a free gift to the Members of Parliament and stated that it has been the practice since 1997.
“Parliament will like to put on record that the MPs’ cars are bought with loans which they pay for, as has been the culture since the inception of the second Parliament of the Fourth Republican Parliament in 1997. The arrangements for the Members of the 8th Parliament is no different from the arrangements for the Members for the previous Parliaments,” the statement read.
“Reports that suggest that the loan resources for the MPs are free are inaccurate and only add to the misconceptions that continue to affect the work of the institution of parliament,” it concluded.
By: Stella Annan | myactiveonline.com Twitter @activetvgh
