Ghana’s MPs are poor - Kan-Dapaah

A former Minister of Interior Albert Kan-Dapaah has advocated for a salary increment for Members of Parliament in order to exercise their responsibilities effectively.

Kan-Dapaah, who is the New Patriotic Party (NPP) legislator for Afigya-Sekyere West, bemoaned the poor salaries of lawmakers, suggesting that the numbers [275 seats] must be reduced so that the “savings can be used to double their salaries.”

The chartered accountant argued that MPs have been at the losing end for far too long at the expense of the Presidency. According to him, “our presidents can get whatever they want from Parliament” while MPs “are underpaid and under resourced.”

“If we don’t have the funds to increase their pay pockets, we should have the numbers we have now reduced and use the savings to double their salaries… the key accountability institution is Parliament and it is only Parliament which has the power to hold the president to account so they have a very important role to play,” Kan-Dapaah said at the 37th Management Day celebration of the University of Ghana Business School in Accra.

Speaking at the same event, a former Dome/Kwabenya MP, Professor Mike Oquaye also lamented how Ghana’s hybrid legislative practice is weakening its legislators. In his opinion the executive influence in parliament is glaring to the extent that it dictates the sitting arrangement in the chamber.

The Majority Leader in Parliament, Alban Bagbin, said until the constitution is amended to reduce the powers of the President it will be difficult for majority members to speak against an executive decision they disagree with.