Let’s cancel everything except salaries – Sheila Bartels advocates for removal of benefits for president, judges, MPs, others

The outgoing Member of Parliament for Ablekuma North, Sheila Bartels, has called for the cancellation of benefits for individuals within key sectors of government, including the presidency, the legislature, and the judiciary.

In a Facebook post on Wednesday, December 18, 2024, the MP said that rewards for public service should only be in the form of salaries and should not include other benefits such as allowances, cars, and gratis.

"I'm impressed! Let's continue to lead Ghana without expecting allowances, fuel, gratis, cars, etc. Let's cancel everything down from the Presidency, Executive, Parliament, Judiciary except salaries. No fees, levies, taxes to citizens. Ghanaians deserve that freedom. Let servants be real about service. No one will expect anything from them since it will be public information that political appointees get nothing. For God and country, it will work! I support you 100%," she wrote.

It is not clear what informed the MP's post. However, the call by the Member of Parliament comes after Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, the Chairman of the five-member preparatory committee announced by President-elect John Dramani Mahama to set the pace for his incoming government's anti-corruption drive, announced that his team will be working without receiving any compensation for their service.

"The ORAL Team held its first meeting at 2 p.m. today and has resolved to work gratis. We shall not be receiving salaries, allowances, per-diems, or fuel coupons. None of our activities will come at a cost to the taxpayer. We continue to count on your support. Let's do this for God and Country," he wrote in a post on X on Wednesday evening.

About the team

President-elect John Dramani Mahama has appointed a five-man team to start work on his anti-corruption initiative, Operation Recover All Loot (ORAL).

This initiative aims to recover all of the country's resources that have been looted by public officials.

The anti-corruption team will be chaired by Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, the Member of Parliament (MP) for North Tongu.

The members of the team include former Auditor-General Daniel Yao Domelevo, retired Commissioner of Police (COP) Nathaniel Kofi Boakye, renowned private legal practitioner Martin Kpebu, and investigative journalist Raymond Archer.

A statement issued by the spokesperson of Mahama's Transition Team, Felix Kwakye Ofosu, indicated that the main function of the team is to gather information on suspected acts of corruption.

It added that the essence of the preparatory team is to ensure that ORAL starts as soon as possible.

"As a preparatory measure towards the rollout of H.E. John Dramani Mahama's promise to recover proceeds of corruption and hold persons responsible for such corruption accountable when he assumes office, a team has been set up to receive and gather information from members of the public and other sources on suspected acts of corruption.

"... Anti-corruption, with Operation Recover All Loot (ORAL) as a major plank, formed a core part of H.E. John Mahama's policy platform in the 2024 campaign, and he intends to hit the ground running on these commitments," parts of the statement read.



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