• Joseph Cudjoe says people should be measured in the discussions on the matter
• He explained that the provision is there to serve a pressing need
The Minister for Public Enterprises, Joseph Cudjoe, has called on the public to be objective enough when discussing the subject of the kinds of cars that Members of Parliament use.
He explained that there is the need to discuss whether or not there is a need for the type of cars they use and whether or not they serve the right purposes.
Joseph Cudjoe made this known when he appeared on GhanaWeb TV's flagship current affairs programme, The Lowdown, with host, Nii Akwei Ismail Akwei.
He was responding to a question on the recent announcement that $28 million has been dedicated to MPs as loans that will enable them to purchase vehicles.
Asked if he thought this arrangement is a productive one, he said:
"$28 million for 275 Members of Parliament. So, if a young man, maybe a teacher, has the aspirations to become an MP, wants to contribute to community development, and you have some Volkswagen (VW) Golf 3, that in that community, you can drive, and all of a sudden, because of the servitude that is seen in you, you are appointed as an MP and you're now in Accra and you have moved from Yagba/Kubore, are you going to speak against a government that says this young man should be supported with this car so that his constituents who want to see him as often as is possible, you say he should use his VW Golf 3, from Accra, Parliament House, and drive weekly to Yagpa/Kubore?"
"I'm trying to paint a certain picture that, if you take somebody like me to make the decision, you'll have it wrong because the 275, not all of them are like me. There are young, dynamic Members of Parliament and there are also those who have worked their lives out - retirees but want to serve the community, he finds himself in Parliament from Upper East, from Tamale, from Western North, somewhere and he is in Accra now. The constituents want to see him - they want to see him. So, let's be objective in these matters whether the need exists, or it does not," Cudjoe explained.
Joseph Cudjoe also spoke about other issues relating to his ministry, and the need to encourage the work he does as a minister in charge of Public Enterprises in the country.
