'Service to the people cannot be for free' - Bagbin calls for financial support for MPs

The Speaker of Parliament, Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin, has called for the provision of financial support to Members of Parliament (MPs) to facilitate more effective engagement with their constituents during parliamentary recess.

Speaking at a Press Soiree at the Volta Serene Hotel in Ho on Thursday, 14 December 2023, the Speaker responding to a question posed by Kingsley Attitsogbui, Volta Regional Correspondent for Ho Fm/Class News, regarding the perceived lack of engagement between MPs and their constituents, emphasised the financial challenges faced by MPs, pointing out that they are often left to bear the financial burdens of constituency engagement alone.

“When MPs are elected for a term of four years, nobody gives them money to go to their constituencies. Everything is left to the MP alone to do, including other burdens which hamper their effective engagement with their constituents,” Speaker Bagbin stated.

Expressing concern about the financial constraints faced by MPs, especially after being elected for a four-year term, the Speaker called for a reconsideration of the current system.

He highlighted the anomaly where MPs, whether engaged in private business or serving the public, are expected to cover the entire cost of their responsibilities.

“If the member of parliament is doing the business of the people and has to take the total cost of doing the business, then that service to the people cannot be for free,” the Speaker remarked, drawing comparisons with international practices where ministers of state and public servants are provided with budgets for official duties.

The Speaker proposed a paradigm shift, suggesting the establishment of a Commission for Salaries and Emoluments to address the financial challenges faced by MPs.

He emphasised the need for a change in the prevailing narrative, especially after elections when additional burdens are placed on MPs by the party, foot-soldiers, and executives.

The Speaker of Parliament, alongside other members of the Parliamentary Service, is currently in the Volta Region as part of the 30th-anniversary commemoration of uninterrupted parliamentary democracy under the theme "Thirty Years of Parliamentary Democracy under the Fourth Republic: The Journey Thus Far."

The commemorative activities include public forums for the general public and a mock parliament involving various tertiary institutions in the region to reflect on the achievements, challenges, and the way forward.