Increase salaries of MPs – GBA President tells Government

The President of the Ghana Bar Association (GBA) Anthony Forson has resurrected the age old debate about the conditions of service for MPs in the country.

The GBA President wants salaries of MPs and other officials of state institutions improved to properly reflect the services they render the nation.

Speaking at a consultative meeting to collate inputs for formation of a Parliament assurances committee, Mr. Forson said the public must not be too quick to kick against improvement of conditions of lawmakers based on emotions.

“Parliamentarians pay a lot of funeral bills and school fees and it shouldn’t be so because then how do they concentrate on the legislative business which includes research…so we owe it to ourselves to make them comfortable to make laws which inure to our benefit because if we do not treat them well we do not expect that they will give off their best or their capacities will be raised.

“I believe that the time has come where all the institutions of state ought to be looked at and proper remuneration and conditions of service be given to them…once we have recognised the fact that our parliament falls short of what other parliaments are doing in terms of output and what they get, we should start looking at our own resources and what parliament is receiving and improve it…as former President Kufuor said if we pretend to pay people they will also pretend to work.”

Speaking to Starr News, Majority Chief Whip Ameyaw Kyeremeh argued that conditions of all workers including MPs must be improved but based on the capacity of the economy.