For some time now, the issue of the remuneration of assembly members has often become topical in public discussions from time to time particularly among local government experts.
GhanaWeb's Upper West Regional correspondent, Ilyaas Al-Hasan sought to enquire from the President of the National Association of Local Authorities of Ghana, NALAG, Mr. Bismark Baisie Nkum, as to what length the issue of the assembly members remuneration had reached in an exclusive interview on Monday, January 17, 2022.
According to him, deliberations about the possibility of instituting salaries for assembly members were still ongoing having held initial talks with the Vice President of the land Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia over the issue.
He however said because the constitution allows workers who draw their salaries from the Consolidated Fund to also become assembly members as well, the issue of double salary payment would always pop up should the issue of the payment of salaries for assembly members come up for discussions any time.
"It is a kind of discussion we have started. It was part of the discussion we've started with the Vice President and the discussion is ongoing. Today, we have close to 10,000 assembly members and our laws do not prevent say, a medical doctor who is paid from the Consolidated Fund from being an assembly member. It doesn't prevent the teacher who is drawing his salary from the Consolidated Fund from being an assembly member, it doesn't prevent the nurse (from becoming an assembly member. So you have all these categories of workers who are paid through the Consolidated Fund but are also assembly members so the moment you raise the issue of remuneration, the issue of double salary comes in," Mr. Bismark explained.
It is the belief of Mr. Bismark Nkum that an amendment in the current laws, especially the one that directs assemblies to pay allowances of assembly and presiding members from their own coffers. According to him, the revenue of some assemblies in a year is less than ₵50,000 Ghana Cedis and therefore wondered how those assemblies could manage to pay their assembly members from those meager revenue.
"That's where there is the need in the change of the law. We need to amend the current laws that we are working with especially, the provision in the constitution which says that in terms of allowances, remuneration of assembly members, presiding members, should be borne by the assembly which means that you cannot even use the common fund to do that."
"There are assemblies in Ghana that generate less than 50,000 Ghana Cedis in a year. So that assembly, how can they pay their assembly members? That's where this discussion is ongoing that there should be some kind of uniformity, possibly we may not call it salaries, we may not call it remuneration. If it's an allowance, we think it should be substantial enough to cater for all these undertakings by these assembly members," he proposed.
Bismark Baisie Nkum, President of the National Association of Local Authorities of Ghana