The Member of Parliament for Nkawkaw, Joseph Frempong, has expressed concern over delays in the payment of entitlements to Members of Parliament, questioning government claims about improving economic conditions.
Contributing to the debate on the State of the Nation Address on Friday, March 6, Mr Frempong said the prolonged delay in the release of funds for MPs’ payments and other obligations raises concerns about the true state of the economy.
He argued that the situation contradicts government assertions about easing inflation and improving economic stability, adding that many lawmakers are currently facing financial strain as a result of the delays.
“We are suffering in Parliament and you talk about inflation going down. This is the time that the cocoa money should be boosting the economy, but there is no money. The economy is not growing how do you talk about inflation when you cannot even pay MPs and give us our entitlements?” he said.
However, the Member of Parliament for Mion, Misbahu Mahama Adams, rejected the criticism and instead blamed the previous New Patriotic Party (NPP) administration for the country’s economic difficulties.
According to him, what he described as excessive borrowing under the previous government contributed to the weakening of the economy and the challenges currently being addressed by the National Democratic Congress (NDC) administration.
“They are very uncomfortable with the way the National Democratic Congress government is managing the economy. The overall bit of this is that the NDC government was able to reduce the public debt to 45% of GDP, as against what was handed over to us at 61%,” he stated.
