MPs are in serious debt - Rashid Pelpuo

The Wa Central Member of Parliament, Rashid Pelpuo has disclosed that majority of MPs are in serious debt.

The MP who was on Metro TV's Good Morning Ghana, Friday, bemoaned the situation where MPs find themselves under intense pressure to satisfy numerous demands on them from their constituents.

"We pay our drivers, maids, rent, buy [their] own fuel and manage your constituency. Ask them how many did not have to borrow money to manage their constituency? Before the end of the month they are broke," he said.

Hon. Rashid Pelpuo, who is also Minister of State in charge of Private-Public Partnerships at the Presidency, was reacting to the reported 47 million Ghana Cedis ex-gratia package that has been paid to MPs.

He explained that the purported GHS 276,000 paid to MPs included other payments apart from ex-gratia such as unpaid induction allowance.

The induction allowance is given to MPs for being "uprooted" from their various occupations to relocate to Accra.

He further explained that committee allowances had been in arrears over the last four years.

"We have suffered waiting for late President Mills to approve payments but the late president said the timing was not right as there were labour unrest," he emphasised.

President Mahama also delayed payments and asked for the amount to be reviewed, but parliament rejected calls for the review.

He explained that MPs contended that the timing would never be right because "there will be no end to labour agitations".

Rashid Pelpuo used the occasion to call for a referendum on the Article 71 office holders