A group calling itself Concerned Assembly Members of Greater Accra Region say they are puzzled why the Akufo-Addo government is able to pay his elephant size administration monthly salaries but is not in support of John Mahama doing same for them.
According to the elected Assembly Members, it is surprisingly that government officials have kicked against manifesto pledge by flag bearer of the National Democratic Congress, John Mahama to pay Assembly members monthly allowances when elected President.
Addressing a press conference in Accra to endorse John Mahama, spokesperson of the group, Ziyad Musah quizzed that “If the Government can pay over 1900 staffers every month, why can’t they pay Assembly Members? If the Government of a country with a little of over 30 million citizens can employ over 125 Ministers with their various assignees and pay them, why can’t they pay Assembly Members?”
Read below the full statement:
PRESS CONFERENCE BY ALL GREATER ACCRA CONCERNED ASSEMBLY MEMBERS (GACAM) IN GHANA, ADDRESSED BY HON MUSAH ZIHAD, THE ASSEMBLY MEMBER FOR AMAMOMO ELECTORAL AREA IN THE ACCRA METROPOLITAN ASSEMBLY ON TUESDAY 22ND SEPTEMBER, 2020 AT HARVARD COLLEGE – KOKOMELEMELE.
Good morning to you all Ladies and Gentlemen.
1. Thank you members of the Media for coming. It is with great pleasure and privilege that I welcome you on behalf of the Greater Accra Concerned Assembly Members, Ghana to this important Press Conference. We know that this invitation came at a rather short notice, and that is why we are particularly grateful to you that you made time out of your busy schedules to be here with us today and to carry our message to the Country. The Association of Concerned Assembly Members is a non-partisan group comprising of Assembly Members drawn from all the various Assemblies across the length and breadth of the country with the sole aim of advancing the shared and mutual interest of all Assembly Members in Ghana, particularly in respect of deepening participation in the policy cycle and space to bring about desirable and lasting outcomes to our members.
2. Ladies and Gentlemen of the Media, we have followed with deep interest the conversations surrounding the Manifesto promises of the various political parties particularly those of the major parties being the NPP and the NDC. Like the great majority of our citizens, we take the issue of manifestoes seriously as they represent not just the expression of the intention of the political party as what its priorities would be if given the opportunity but also the clearest evidence of it’s the social contract between the citizens and the ruling political elite. It is in this regard that we note in particular the promise by the Flagbearer of the National Democratic Congress, His Excellency John Dramani Mahama to pay salaries/allowances to all Assembly Members in Ghana if elected into office.
3. Ladies and Gentlemen of the Media, as you may be aware, the duties and functions of Assembly Members are provided for in Section 16 of the Local Governance Act, 2016 — Act 936. It is without doubt that the performance of these duties by members are essential for the Assembly’s discharge of their deliberative, legislative and executive functions and the overall success of government’s decentralization and local government strategies. The duties that the law imposes on a Member of a District Assembly to perform are enumerated as follows:
A Member of a District Assembly Shall as Appropriate-
1. Maintain close contact with the electoral area of the District Assembly, consult the people of the electoral area on issues to be discussed in the District Assembly, collate their views, opinions, and proposals;
2. Present the views, opinions and proposals of the electorate to the District Assembly;
3. Attend meetings of the District Assembly and meetings of sub-committees of which that member of the District Assembly is a member;
4. Meet the electorate before each meeting of the District Assembly;
5. Report to the electorate the,
I. General decision of the District Assembly: and
II. Actions the member has taken to solve problems raised by residents in the electoral area;
6. Draw attention in general debate to national policies that are relevant to the subject under discussion;
7. Actively participate in the work of the sub-committees of the Executive Committee;
8. Bring to bear on any discussion in the District Assembly the benefit of the skill, profession, experience or specialised knowledge of the member;
9. Maintain frequent liaison with organized productive economic groupings and other persons in the district; and
10. Take part in communal and development activities in the district.
4. We take the view that, having regard to the statutory duties imposed by law on Assembly Members, it becomes imperative that Assembly Members are properLy and adequately remunerated in order to excite the motivation and enthusiasm among the rank and file of our members to effectively discharge their responsibilities under the law. It is further our considered opinion that these statutory duties enumerated above, puts the work of an Assembly Member beyond the scope of a mere voluntary enterprise, such as not to merit any form of remuneration whatsoever.
5. Our collective experience shows that, the duties of Assembly Members also include prioritizing the welfare of our communities, mobilizing communities for cleaning and other public health interventions, the health concerns of our communities and above all the massive development drive of our communities as much a part of us, as our own beating heart.
6. We find this commitment by the NDC and its Flagbearer for the 2020 general elections, HE John Dramani Mahama, most welcoming. We believe that this promise could not have come at a better time. We therefore wish to express our profound gratitude to the HE John Dramani Mahama and the leadership of the NDC and its Manifesto Committee for listening to our age long call and making provision for us. We have no doubt that this promise if fulfilled will boost the morale of our members and empower them to build relevant skills to be effective in their duties to the state and their respective communities in particular.
7. We therefore offer a hand of support to the NDC and its leadership in this campaign and we wish to encourage all Assembly Members across the length and breadth of this country to come forward irrespective of their political idiosyncrasies and proclivities to support this agenda to give practical meaning to this common and shared aspiration of all assembly members to be paid allowances.
8. We note also with deep regret the voices, particularly from the governing party and official circles who have sought, albeit without success to belittle the significance of this commitment without offering any alternative. If the Government can pay over 1900 staffers every month, why can’t they pay Assembly Members? If the Government of a country with a little of over 30 million citizens can employ over 125 Ministers with their various assignees and pay them, why can’t they pay Assembly Members?
9. We are by this conference calling on all Assembly Members to join this call as a single impenetrable unit. That can only be the source of our strength to achieving our goals. The commitment shown by the Former President represents to us a real understanding of the responsibilities of Assembly Members and our role as development agents in our respective communities.
Thank you very much for coming and may God bless you all. Long Live All Assembly Members and Long Live Ghana