Ex-Gratia

Parliamentarians get thank you (Ex-Gratia) from the Ghanaian taxpayers every four years regardless of whether they are re-elected or not. A member who served for 20 years gets five times ex-gratia.

Records show that the longest-serving Member of Parliament during the fourth republic served for 28 years which translates to seven times ex-gratia.

Whiles the Headmaster of Kadjebi-Asato secondary school, a public servant who impacted knowledge and produces intellectual properties for many years and produces Ministers states, Justices, Doctors, and other public servants goes home as a retired educationist with no ex-gratia.

The executive branch has one term of four years or two terms of eight years and can only get a maximum of 2 ex-gratia. On the other Judiciary and all other public servants have one-time ex-gratia if any.

The parliamentarians are there to protect the abuse of public expenditure and to protect the taxpayers' money as well are the public purse. Who then approves the benefits of ex gratia for the parliamentarians, the executive, the judiciary and all other public servants?

How many times do we hear that parliament is divided politically (partisans) over members’ benefits? When it comes to sharing V 8’s, Housing loans every 4 years no member of parliament is against that. My humble concern here is why should a country like Ghana provides its laws makers with all these luxuries and at the end of 4 years add ex-gratia?

When will parliamentarians show financial prudence by example? My “seven gunshots” to Togbe Afede XIV, I salute you. Parliamentarians turn to political self-enrichment and no longer serve people or the nation.

What is the current home delivery value of V8 multiplied by 270 in Ghana? The people of Ghana went to the poll to elect the parliamentarians by voting the candidates of their choice to help in developing their community every four years but what the people get in returns that the parliamentarians in luxuries and forget the very people that put them there.

How can one tell the road condition when parliamentarians are riding in V8’s forgetting the very people (Ghanaian taxpayers) that bought them the V8s are still riding Tico, Okada, Pinto and like?

It is believed that the purpose of paying ex gratia to parliamentarians is because they devote their time fully to making laws that benefit the country of Ghana.

However, the issue of absenteeism in parliament is of concern to the Ghanaian taxpayer whose tax money is used to pay them. It is an open secret that most parliamentarians absent themselves from parliament to attend to their private businesses. Ex-Gratia should not be automatic, ex-gratia should be given to well-deserving members of parliament, not for people that just take up the mantle and do nothing in formulating policies that they took an oath of office for.

Ex-Gratia should be capped at a maximum of 2 times. Ex-gratia should be structured prudently to eliminate lifetime re-election such as members who are career Members of Parliament can only draw benefits a maximum of 2 times.

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